Community fridges at KSR to feed socially disadvantaged

The South Western Railway, in association with NGO Feeding India, launched a community fridge initiative at the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna station.

Taking up the 'happy fridge' initiative, the Bangalore division of SWR will install 50 community fridges at major stations under its limits.

Divisional railway manager Ashok Kumar Verma said the community fridges will allow people to leave their excess food in the fridge so that people in need can take it free of cost without compromising his/her dignity.

The railways in Bengaluru serves lakhs of passengers daily, a significant number of them are migrants, daily wage earners, missing or lost children and other socially disadvantaged groups. As a solution to provide such people access to food without hurting their dignity, the division has partnered with the NGO to provide community fridges, he said.

"The fridges will reduce food waste, encourage a spirit of sharing and can help strengthen community bonds. By doing so, the railways will play the part of community building and national integration," he added.

Srishti Jain, co-founder of Feeding India, said the fridges will be manned and maintained by volunteers. "Through the fridges, we involve communities to re-distribute consumable, healthy food to those in need, thereby, reducing food wastage," she said.