FOOD FOR LIFE is an association incorporated under Section 21 which operates as a non-profit organisation that is exempt from any company tax.

 

FOOD FOR LIFE is a nonsectarian and non-discriminating organization that respects all religions and cultural traditions. It was founded by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as a charitable branch of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in 1974, and has volunteers from all religious and racial backgrounds who are involved in programs all over the world.

FOOD FOR LIFE KZN is affiliated to Food For Life Global, which is the world’s largest vegan/vegetarian food relief programme serving over a million plates of cooked meals a day and is funded mainly by member donations and corporate grants.  Table 1 reflects a summary of the achievements of Food for Life Global over the last 16 years.  See Annexure A for more comprehensive details of the international food distribution programmes.

FOOD FOR LIFE KZN currently distributes approximately 3 800 plates of food per day to the poverty stricken people of Durban and surrounding areas.

Mission

 

The FOOD FOR LIFE mission is inspired by the world’s foremost Vedic scholar and teacher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who desired that no one within a ten mile radius of any ISKCON Temple should go hungry.

In 1974, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (affectionately known as Srila Prabhupada), The Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), was looking out from his room at ISKCON's temple in Mayapura (West Bengal, India), when he noticed a group of village children fighting with street dogs over scraps of food. Shocked and saddened by what he saw, Srila Prabhupada turned to his disciples and said, "Imagine how hungry they are.... God is the Father. Wherever there is the Father, the children should not be hungry? A temple therefore means: free food distribution.... No one within a ten mile radius of our temples should go hungry.... "I want you to begin distributing food immediately.”

 

Mission Statement:  To eradicate hunger and malnutrition in South Africa.

 

Slogan:

  • SERVING THE HUNGRY IN SOUTH AFRICA AND WORLDWIDE
  • Uniting South Africa through food
  • Serving Millions worldwide
  • Fighting hunger through food
  • feeding the hungry
  • feeding the hungry Children
  • JUSTICE THROUGH FOOD
  • DAILY NUTRITUTION FOR THE SOUL
  • SOUL FOOD FOR the HUNGRY
  • FOOD FOR ALL
  • ARRIVE HUNGRY LEAVE HAPPY

 

 

Objectives:

In its purest form, food has the innate ability to break down barriers and heal body, mind and soul. Food for Life therefore serves only the purest of food—food that is prepared with love and served with love. Furthermore, recognizing that the ultimate solution to the problem of hunger is the elimination of poverty, Food for Life not only provides direct food distribution services, but also addresses, through its affiliated programs, diverse but related issues such as education, environmental health and sustainability, and health care.

More specifically, the objectives of Food for Life are the following:

  • To fulfil the desire of Srila Prabhupada that no one within a ten mile (16.09 kilometres) of ISKCON temples should go hungry
  • To eradicate hunger and malnutrition by providing free vegetarian meals to the disadvantaged and poverty stricken within South Africa.
  • To provide hunger relief to victims of disaster (natural or manmade) anywhere in South Africa or internationally
  • To coordinate emergency relief efforts in KZN and South Africa.
  • To bring about peace and prosperity in the South Africa through creating a hunger free society
  • To create sustainable Food for Life supply projects that empower the poverty stricken and disadvantaged people of South Africa to earn a livelihood
    •  To establish Food for Life Education centers throughout South Africa. These centers will provide free or inexpensive vegetarian meals and food education and living skills training as taught in the Vedic tradition.
    • To establish Rural Academies for Youth, through which people are trained in sustainable agriculture.
  • To co-ordinate and expand the distribution of sanctified vegan/vegetarian meals all over South Africa.
  • To provide nutritional support to community-based clinics, hospital outpatients, hospices, community crèches, shelters for the unemployed, and street children, orphanages and schools where there is a need.
  • To provide nutritional support to HIV/AIDS related support programmes, especially for children and HIV/AIDS orphans.
  • To network with government organizations and other organizations who share the mission to facilitate the progress of Food for Life.
  • To engage in fund raising drives to facilitate the mission of Food for Life via:
    • Eliciting donations from businesses, the public and individuals,
    • Seeking grants from governmental and non-governmental organizations, both locally and internationally
    • Raising funds for emergency relief efforts
  • To establish and develop sustainable Food for Life projects through business endeavors/ enterprises

 

Vision

To become the leading humanitarian organisation in the country by creating a hunger free society in South Africa through free food distribution, driven by principles of integrity and purity.

Values

Food for Life’s mission flows from the following core values:

 

In view of the above the services will therefore be provided without discrimination in respect of race, creed, color, religion, sex, community, or nationality.