Vegan Meals for the Poor

2014 Update

Our Kindness Mobile Restaurant programme, under the stewardship of Mr. Phil Wollen, has been the most successful, unique and one of its kind programme in India.

So far we have distributed 34,560 packets of vegan meals, since the beginning of this humane programme. Our beneficiaries are those filled with compassion, love, and warmth for the street animals, sharing the same roof.

The project is gaining immense popularity and greater appreciation not only in India but across the whole world; connecting the hearts of abandoned living beings. With the mission of helping the animals on the street as well as giving respect to the human beings, the Kindness Mobile Restaurant programme has implemented the scheme that bridges the gap and brings respect to both the animals and the human beings.

This year’s highlight has been supported by A Well-Fed World organization in providing blankets for winter and also the essential utensils for eating. A Well-Fed World along with Help Animals India has been a tremendous boost to the success of our programme. We have distributed rugs and utensils to more than 80 beneficiaries on the street, especially the abandoned old age people on the street struggling with the winter nights.

We look forward to expanding the programme to more areas and benefiting more compassionate beings on the street. Your support will boost our activity and will help us to take this programme to new levels.

This programme, which began the 1st of January 2010, has successfully become more popular and demanding as the days go by. The plan now covers more than 80 members.

A wholesome and nutritious vegan meal is hygienically packed in palm leaves and provided by autorickshaw to the poorest of the poor in their respective places. We have selected Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays for meal delivery. as these are the days that they will not have any means of procuring food of any kind from other charities. Most of thee people are also disabled, which requires us to go to them.

Every one of them has a trusted association with a street dog. They give the first morsel of food to the dog that comes at that time to get their first share. Both the poor person and the street dog have both overcome loneliness in having each other as companions.

In reality that they are seeking each others company to strike a bond of love and affection after being abandoned by their own society and now building a relationship of life. For every form is a life that can be understood, felt, and acknowledged. Life is a life and is not related to physical appearance.

We have started this programme with the kind and wonderful support of our patron Mr. Phil Wollen through his Kindness Trust in Australia. Your kind donation will help us continue and expand this program.

Update on 2012’s program activities from VSPCA founder Pradeep Nath

Vegan Meals for the Poorest of the Poor having compassion to Street Animals

BACKGROUND:

Always felt that livings that are weaker than any other to survive to be helped. In that:

Animals and Species
Children below Five Years
Human above 70 years
Born Handicapped

Animals have got my top priority and thus the various related project.

However, there is always a real subtle relation between all living beings, a bondage a relationship of purity – whether the living being is in any form.

Have watched extensively and felt most deeply that one such wonderful and meaningful connection is that of old humans, shelterless and obviously homeless and no attachment on the roads and the reasons are just too many but harbouring around emotional detachments and betrayal by their near and dear ones.

Have watched closely of these unfortunate humans thrown and forced onto the streets and bravely countering all odds to eek out a living putting aside their life of comfort and dignity. It is heartening to learn and feel how they deal with the present cruel liberty of life. They are brave enough to lead such a strong life against harsh weather conditions and in this age unmindful of what disease they carry with them for which their only medicine is their “will power ” to survive.

They are lonely on a planet filled with many human lives.

STREET SAVIORS:

Here come the street animals more specifically the Street dogs.

More or less these dogs face the same humiliation. Why are there dogs on the streets? Abandoned by owners displaced by authorities, accidents and sickness. But to me, these are all living species facing the same problems.

THE TOGETHERNESS AND THE MUTUAL WARMTH

Most often during my night travels through the main and bye streets and while going to the beach. Dogs are huddled with these humans sleeping with them on their rugs and clothes.

Very often I witness the first morsel of their “begged cooked” food provided to the dogs.

The dogs wait for their “eternal” friend by 8.00 P.M. as shops and establishment start to close for the night and these front spaces of shops are our “Friends” night makeshift ” Bedrooms”

I was very surprised to also observe how my house dogs gradually go to the neighbour shop front space where an old man had made his ” Residence” for night share his food, eat very well and get back to the house. They are friends. My dog though not abandoned has found a heart to share with. It is just more than a mere requirement. It is also the “Real Warmth”

I find to my utter amusement and watch in wonder how the old abandoned human takes out his old dirty precious only cloth and rub thoroughly the dog to keep him clean.

They are speaking to one another. This is the language of earning, sharing, understanding, and forgetting their disastrous past.

And it can be truly disheartening when one does not turn up for the night,

They are the “Night” Companions” and ‘Friends by Night”

It is so ironical to find during that amongst the crowd of humans this dog wag his/her fail to his “True Friend” a friend who is as he/she is.

It is so heartbreaking when something goes wrong with any of them. Their lives are so uncertain like we found out about one incident.

One of the beneficiaries an old lady was hit on her right leg with a boulder by one of her competitors. (There is intense competition among these homeless for such public places) she had severe diabetes it was learned after she was brought to the hospital. She died after ten days as she developed gangrene and other related complications.

Now the dog at the bus stand who comes at the night sharing her feed and bed comes and goes away waiting for a long time. Never the dog since that day has ever come back. This to me was so heartbreaking.

THE IDEA

It had occurred to link this relationship a very common, very simple, very humble,., but very vital. To recognize, prove and provide help and also send out a strong message that can be education and awareness the project initially named ” Vegan Meals to the Poorest of Poor having compassion to animals” was launched from Jan-01-2010.

Mr. Phil Wollen, Founder, The Winsome Constance Kindness Trust Australia, and Chief Patron, Visakha Society For Protection and Care of Animals, Visakhapatnam A.P. India most readily agreed to fully support the project on a pilot basis for 40No beneficiaries, identified, photographed and registered, However, there could be some who will still get a packet if they are present while giving to these beneficiaries and asking.

KINDNESS MOBILE RESTAURANT

Subsequently, the Heading was christened as Kindness Mobile Restaurant by Mr. Phil Wollen as it was appropriate to use the term that had the right message and ingredient which is Kindness. And thus “KINDNESS MOBILE RESTAURANT” was born. 2011 have added another 40beneficiaries a total of 80 covering three zones.

THE KMR SCHEDULE

The food is vegan with lentil variety every day, one vegetable curry, one fruit and one sachet of drinking water provided on a banana leaf.

The selected days are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, as these are the days that they do not get any food from any source.

The timing is from 1.00 PM to 2.00 PM

The feeding points change for individuals mostly for the weaker ones because of competition, harassments and authorities removals. But we, search and find them the smarter among them will collect the packets from one of the nearest feeding points.

In order to comply with the total ban on plastics, it is being planned to provide water in containers and also the food on plates.

They may require some winter blankets and fresh clothing at least once in two years, at least a pair of chappals (sandals) and some basic requirements.

Working on these factors for the coming year.

SOME NOTABLE OBSERVATIONS

This lady is a strong lover of dogs and cats. She feeds the cat with her hand both food and water. We try our best to take the cats because of the fear of the cats suffering as they grow bigger. We try to appease her with Rs200/-. She refuses and in return, she is willing to pay Rs400/- to keep the cats. It is good to watch the affection and the bondage between her and the cats but as the cats are growing big and the constant fear of escape is something that we are unable to convince her.

Most of these homeless persons are from “Hindi” speaking areas clearly pointing to the fact that they were left behind to fend for themselves.

Many of them are mentally traumatized severely tortured mentally and almost nervous around people whom they distrust and thus their growing affinity towards dogs who are harmless, innocent and trustworthy.

A TRIBUTE TO THE KINDNESS MOBILE RESTAURANT (KMR)

The KMR owes its birth to The Winsome Constance Kindness Trust Australia supported very strongly from the moment the concept was mentioned to Mr. Phil Wollen who has further consolidated the progress by supporting for the third consecutive year from Jan -1-2012 to Dec -31-2012, for 80 beneficiaries. The first of its kind in the country similar KMR is designated to be set up in likeminded areas.

As of today, the VSPCA’s KMR is the first and the only one functioning.

This programme is an opportunity to prove that Animal Welfare Societies care for all lives, have a heart for the sufferings and want to help!

The KMR proves without a doubt that living beings are pure, devoid of caste, creed and religion and that is when peaceful co-existence happens.

– Pradeep Nath, founder, VSPCA