Mangaluru, May 29: The ongoing CSR programme ‘Hunger-Free World’ by Malabar Group, which provides nutritious daily meals to the needy, will be expanded to cover more people and cities. Currently, 31,000 food packets are distributed under this initiative, supporting the United Nations’ sustainable development goal 2 – zero hunger. As part of the expansion, 51,000 nutritious food packets will now be distributed.
Their CSR activities have significantly impacted Karnataka, where the Hunger-Free World project was initiated in 2023. The programme currently provides one meal per day to nearly 4,450 people, and this will increase to 7,167 people per day, amounting to around 26,15,955 meals per year across twelve locations in Karnataka. Globally, the Malabar Charitable Trust oversees 51,000 meals per day, totaling nearly 18.6 million meals per year at 71 locations.
At present, the programme is implemented in 37 cities across 16 states and union territories, as well as in several centers in Gulf countries. With the expansion, the programme will now cover 70 cities in 16 states. Additionally, the group plans to launch the same programme for school children in Zambia, an African nation known for its large-scale gold mining.
“There are still plenty of people around us who are struggling to secure at least one square meal a day. We launched this programme as a small hand of help to those governments and agencies working hard to eliminate hunger from our world,” said M P Ahammed.
The Hunger-Free World programme is executed with the help of the highly recognized social welfare NGO ‘Thanal – Daya Rehabilitation Trust’. Modern kitchens have been set up in various locations to prepare nutritious food in a hygienic environment by skilled chefs. Volunteers from Malabar Group and Thanal identify needy individuals in urban areas and deliver food packets to their doorsteps.
The NGO volunteers also survey beneficiaries to assess the social and economic causes of hunger. As part of this programme, Malabar Group and Thanal have initiated the ‘Grandma Home’ project to support poor and orphaned elderly women by providing free food, accommodation, and healthcare. Two such homes have been established in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, with plans to set up more in Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, and selected cities in Kerala. This initiative aims to provide dignity to neglected and orphaned women. The group has also launched a micro-learning programme to support the primary education of street children.
In addition to this, Malabar Group engages in other social welfare and charitable activities, including financial assistance for medical care, education support for female students, and partial support for house construction. The group allocates five percent of profits from its verticals, including Malabar Gold & Diamonds, to CSR funds for social welfare activities. The group has already spent Rs 246 crore on such programmes.
Dr. Hemalatha, deputy director of food and supplies department Mangaluru; Chithranjan Das, city commission manager Mangaluru City Corporation; Krishna Kumar Poonja, managing trustee of Sevanjalli Charitable Trust Bantwal, and Kannada Rajyotsava Awardee; Moiddin, founder president of KKMA Kannada chapter in Saudi Arabia; and management members were present at the event at Malabar Gold’s Falnir showroom.