The lavish buffet stretched as far as the eye could see, a vibrant tableau of fragrant curries, glistening sweets, and mountains of fluffy rice. Laughter and chatter filled the air, the joyous celebration of a wedding in full swing. Yet, beneath the festive veneer, a stark reality was unfolding.

As the night drew to a close, a chilling sight emerged: a fifth of the feast, untouched and uneaten, destined for the bin. This wasn’t an isolated incident, but a grim reflection of a widespread problem. The pang of guilt was undeniable — how could such abundance coexist with the gnawing hunger that plagues millions?

The numbers are staggering. A United Nations report paints a stark picture: Indian households alone discard a shocking 78.2 million tonnes of food each year. The sheer volume of wasted meals is a moral indictment, a silent tragedy played out daily. We wring our hands, lamenting the waste, yet often feel powerless to stem the tide. But what if there was a way to bridge the gap between excess and need?

Enter Padmanaban Gopalan, Dinesh Manickam, and Sudhakar Marimuthu, three production engineering graduates from Coimbatore, who refused to accept the status quo. Witnessing the mountains of discarded food at events, they saw not waste, but opportunity.

In October 2014, they founded ‘No Food Waste’, an organisation born from a simple yet powerful idea: rescue surplus food and deliver it to those who need it most. Their initiative has become a compelling blueprint for transforming the way we address leftover food at gatherings, offering a tangible solution to a seemingly insurmountable problem. This is the story of how a few determined individuals are turning a tide of waste into a lifeline of nourishment.

Fighting food waste in Coimbatore

“We started small, armed only with two shopping bags and a single volunteer. The three of us went around Coimbatore collecting surplus food from local sources and delivered it to homeless people using the public transport system,” says Padmanaban Gopalan.

“Throwing away food benefits no one. Not only could the food have gone to someone in need, but the resource cost is tremendous,” he tells The Better India. His words encapsulate the NGO’s core belief that food should be treated as a precious resource.

The organisation operates on a local level, matching individuals, institutions, and corporations with food surplus to nearby shelters and low-income communities. The NGO ensures that the food reaches its intended recipients without delay.

“Our services include a dedicated call centre, collection vehicles, feeding points, and a sustainable process to ensure safe food recovery and distribution,” Padmanaban says. “By working with a peer-to-peer........

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