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“I had just celebrated my 32nd birthday when I noticed a lump in my breast. Multiple tests and scans later, I learned the shocking truth: I had stage 3 breast cancer. I remember telling myself - this can’t be it…there is more to my life for sure. I wanted to make my life count.” - Anchal Sharma.
A week after her diagnosis, Anchal witnessed something that would change her life forever. She was stuck at a traffic signal when she noticed a bunch of kids begging. “I refused to give them money and offered food instead. They agreed and I took them to a restaurant. Due to social stigma, some of the guests at the restaurant left after seeing these kids dining in the same place as them. Disgusted, I sat down with the poor kids and talked to them about their life and how they survive. That afternoon inspired me to do something for these kids, and I started distributing free food to street kids,” she says.
Initially, she would cook the meals at home by enlisting her mother’s help, and distribute it to slum kids in and around her locality in Delhi. Soon people noticed her persistence in helping these kids and offered support in the form of money or volunteering. While she was consistently preparing and serving meals to these kids, she also underwent rigorous chemotherapy sessions which lasted 11 months.
“I carried on the food distribution activities through the toughest of times during my cancer journey. Serving meals to the needy and less privileged gave me strength to overcome these difficult times. I believe I am alive because of the time I spent amongst the people in the slums serving them. I plan to continue doing what I love and keep serving meals to the needy.” - Anchal.
In 2017, she started 'Meals of Happiness Charitable Trust', an NGO in order to be able to serve a lot more people. As of 2019, her organisation had served over 2 lakh hot meals to slum kids in Delhi. Today, Meals of Happiness (MoH) runs community kitchens, accepts dry ration, and monetary donations as well as in kind, to tackle the epidemic called hunger. Because hunger strikes all — the rich and the poor — but not everyone can afford food.
The fact that Anchal grew up in poverty added to her innate passion to feed underprivileged children.
“My father was an auto rickshaw driver, so he could barely make ends meet. In the hope to improve our financial condition, my father sold off his auto rickshaw one day and invested in a van with which we would ferry kids to and from an international school. But as luck would have it, he lost that job and fell prey to alcoholism,” Anchal recollects, adding, “There were days when we would starve all day, on some days we were lucky enough to survive on chapatis and red chilies. Circumstances forced me and my brother to drop out of school in class 8th and 9th respectively and search for employment. I started working as a receptionist at a trading firm for a salary of INR 4,000. Slowly over the years, our financial situation got better and we could lead a decent life.”
Anchal did not let her negative circumstances define her life; she outgrew them and rose above challenges to contribute to society. In addition to feeding 600 people and distributing 300 ration kits every month, her organisation feeds 500 slum kids every day and also conducts skill training workshops for women in Delhi. During the pandemic, they fed more than 2 lakh meals and ration kits to those in need, across the country.
“I have a purpose in life, and it is this purpose that makes me stronger by the day. Though we were able to achieve so much, there is still a lot more left to do, and funds are required to make this a reality. I am asking for your help to continue the work that I do. We incur INR 30,000 every day just for preparing the food alone. Operational costs per month come up to INR 40,000. Every month, we need at least INR 7 to 8 lakhs to deliver the hot meals and ration kits. We will not be able to continue without your much needed support. These kids need you.” - Anchal Sharma.
Partner with Anchal to make sure that no slum kid goes to sleep hungry. Click here to contribute.
Charity No : 319201431163
