food for life (vegan hunger-relief charity)

8/7/2019 Food For Life (Vegan Hunger-relief Charity)

1/19

2010 Food for Life Global. All rights reserved. Current as of November 2010

FOOD FOR LIFE GLOBAL

Media Kit

Food for Life Global was founded in 1995 in Washington DC to serve as the headquarters and coordinatingoffice for Food for Life projects worldwide.

Mailing: P.O. Box 471, Riverdale, NY 10471 USADirector: Paul Rodney TurnerEmail: [email protected]: 301 987 5883


2/19


Food for Life Global was founded in 1995 in Washington DC to serve as the headquarters and coordinating office.

Background

FOOD FOR LIFE is a nonprofit organization, bringingfood and life to the needy of the world through the liberaldistribution of pure plant-based meals. The project startedin 1974 when an elderly Indian swami, Srila Prabhupada,implored his yoga students not to allow anyone within aten mile radius of his ashram to go hungry. The program

grew quickly, and today Food for Life is active in over 50countries worldwide.

Over 1,500,000 meals served daily!

Volunteers serve more than 1,500,000 free meals daily toschools for the poor, orphanages; on the streets of majorcities, and to disaster areas, making FOOD FOR LIFE thelargest vegan food relief in the world.

Community Based

Food for Life Global volunteers represent a wide cross-section of society. Food for Life Global is a non-sectarianorganization and so everyone is welcome to participate inour community projects.

Facts about Food for Life

More than 900 million plant-based meals servedsince 1974

Projects in more than 50 countries Services include: food relief, schooling, nutrition

education, animal sanctuaries, orphanages,medical care, organic farming, housing anddisaster response.

Meals served by Food for Life projects cost onaverage: 15 20 cents each

No meat, fish, or eggs are used in any meals. Majority of staff are volunteers

Headquarters

10310 Oaklyn Drive, Potomac, MD 20854 USAMailing: P.O. Box 59037, Potomac, MD 20859 USA

Board of Directors

Paul Rodney TurnerMichael Grant

Wendy Walker

Our Goals

To provide vegan meals to the disadvantaged,malnourished and victims of disaster (natural ormanmade), wherever there is a need in the world.

To establish Food for Life Education centersthroughout the world. These centers will providefree or inexpensive vegan meals, counseling, yoga,and survival skills training.

To establish Rural Academies for Youth (Food forLife R.A.Y. of Hope"), whereby youth are trained insustainable agriculture centered on spiritual values.

To produce promotional and training materials forthe development of Food for Life projectsworldwide.

To represent Food for Life to the government,media and public through public lectures,newspaper articles, the Internet, and through mail.

To promote a food culture of hospitality based onspiritual equality

To raise funds on behalf of Food for Life projectsworldwide and to support them with small grants

To coordinate and sponsor emergency relief effortsconducted by Food for Life volunteers

NELSON MANDELA: Another important building blockfor new democracy is the love and goodwill we show toeach other. That is the spirit ofMasakhane, of bringing oneanother together. It is also the spirit of Food for Life.

TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION OR TO VOLUNTEER GO TO: WWW.FOODFORLIFE.ORGCall: 301-987-5883 or Email: [email protected] Tax id: 52-195-2901


3/19


Mid-Day Meal Program provides daily hot meals for school children throughout India. Recognizing therelationship between two of Indias most pressing problemshunger and educationthe service seeks todisrupt the vicious cycle that emerges: education is the long-term solution to poverty and hunger, buteducation is lost on starving children. Currently serving more than 1,000,000 school-aged children in a wellorganized, strategic program, the program has received numerous accolades from the media and government.

Gokulam-Bhaktivedanta Childrens Home is a refuge for orphaned children in Sri Lanka, providing physicalspiritual, and emotional nurturing and education in an atmosphere of hope and healing. With the care theyreceive at Gokulam, destitute children gain the self confidence, determination, and integrity to enter adulthoodas productive and successful world citizens. In response to a never-ending need exacerbated by thedevastating tsunami of December 2004, plans are underway to expand Gokulams capacity (currently 120

children) to accommodate 250 children in the near future.

Working Villages International is building a Gandian village in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which byits completion will provide nearly all of the daily necessities for its projected population of 5,000 to 7,000inhabitants. This village will operate under the varnashrama social structure. The project plans to build a selfsufficient agrarian community following a Gandian Social model. The project has already demonstrablesuccess and is currently the largest rice producer in the entire country.

Food for Life Vrindavan (FFLV) is a humanitarian association officially recognized by the Indian governmentFor the last ten years, FFLV has provided basic needs and essential services to the poorest of the poor througha variety of social programs, including food and clothing distribution, basic medical assistance, and training

for women, water delivery, environmental projects, and education.

Care for Cows in Vrindavan (India), a branch of Food for Life Vrindavan, supports abandoned cows, bulls,retired oxen, and orphaned calves. International volunteers provide stray cows with hay, flour, fresh grass,medical attention, and a place where they can recuperate from injuries. Because of limited resources, Care forCows presently hosts a herd of 90, although there are 300 to 400 cows in need of support.

COTTAGE (Children Of The TsunamiArts, Gifts, and Education) is a visionary project developed tosupport the expansion of the Childrens Home through the marketing of artwork created by the children ofGokulam. Art as therapy provides a creative outlet for overwhelming emotions that are often hard toverbalize. The artwork of the Gokulam orphans offers a brilliant look into the poignant experiences enduredby these children. By marketing the childrens artwork in greeting cards produced by COTTAGE, Gokulamhopes to raise $250,000 in 2006 to pay for land, new dormitories and a new school building.


4/19


Nelson MandelaAnother important building block for new democracy is the love and goodwill we show to each other. That isthe spirit of Masakhane, of bringing one another together. It is also the spirit of todays festival organized byFOOD FOR LIFE.

Salambek Hadjiev (Former Prime Minister of Chechnya)I pray that your FOOD FOR LIFE program will expand to bring about a peaceful world.

Arlen Specter (United States Senate)

I congratulate you for your fine achievements on behalf of the homeless . . . F OOD FOR LIFEs success inproviding housing, food, and social services has long attracted the attention of this office.

Susan Tydings Frushour (Red Cross)Many people were in tears to see the efforts of the FFL volunteers. Many of those who received it commentedthat it was the "best food they have had in a long time, even before the hurricane hit!"

Bob Carr (Premier, New South Wales, Australia)The commitment of FOOD FOR LIFE goes beyond the need for the basic necessities of life; it is a commitment toimprove the quality of life.

Thabo Mbeki (Former President of South Africa)

FOOD FOR LIFE is the real Reconstruction and Development Programme. The understanding that if I have aplate of food, let me share it with my neighbour . . . let those who are feeling sad come together with us, andtogether we can share this burden. This understanding should be taken from FOOD FOR LIFE and transmitted tothe entire country.

Zola Dowell (Program Coordinator OXFAM, Belgrade Serbia)As one of FOOD FOR LIFEs supporters, OXFAM has witnessed firsthand the organization's activities and itsability to reach vulnerable groups in a caring and respectful manner.

Leland Montell (Country Director of the International Rescue Committee)On behalf of the IRC, I would like to compliment the efforts of FOOD FOR LIFE in providing fresh fruit

vegetables, and prepared meals to some of the most vulnerable groups in Serbia.

Hayley Mills (British actress)I am sure that in every city where there is a FOOD FOR LIFE program, the people would be very grateful for thehelp they givefeeding hundreds and hundreds of people, that would otherwise cost the city a great deal.And all the support, friendship, and counselingit's hard to put a value on something like that.


5/19


6/19


FOOD FOR LIFE volunteers, universally recognized for their selfless dedication, compassion, and bravery, canbe found wherever people are suffering, bringing hope and relief to the needy. The following is a partial, brieflist of the many relief efforts undertaken by FOOD FOR LIFE around the globe.

Chennai, India/Colombo, Sri Lanka FOOD FOR LIFE, the first food relief agency to respond to the tsunamidisaster of December 2004, provided more than 350,000 freshly cooked meals, along with medical care, water,clothing, and shelter.

Texas, USA Food for Life was a first responder to survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, serving hot,organic, vegan meals in Mississippi and throughout Texas.

Grozny, Chechnya Regarding FOOD FOR LIFE volunteers in this war-torn country in 1995, a New YorkTimes reporter wrote, ... here they have a reputation like the one Mother Teresa has in Calcutta: it's not hardfinding someone to swear they are saint.

Gujarat, India After a devastating earthquake in 2001, more than 130 FOOD FOR LIFE volunteers, including50 doctors and nurses, set up a temporary hospital and food distribution camps in the most devastated areas.

Nicaragua, Central America After Hurricane Mitch in 1998, FOOD FOR LIFE volunteers provided freshlycooked vegetarian meals daily to thousands of survivors.

Orissa, India Following a disastrous cyclone in 1999 that left more than 1 million people homeless, FOODFOR LIFE brought food, water, blankets, clothes, and first aid to the needy.

Mozambique In 2000, the biggest flood in Mozambiques history left horrifying destruction in its wake,with many stranded on rooftops and in trees. Food for Life was on the scene, bringing vegan stew by boat tothe villagers.

Prague, Czech Republic Following the floods of 2002, FOOD FOR LIFE volunteers prepared vegetable stew inthe kitchen of a local school, serving hot meals to thousands of homeless people in the devastated area.

Wroclaw, Poland In 1997, FOOD FOR LIFE volunteers served tens of thousands of people who were strandedfor two weeks after massive floods devastated most of Poland.

Mayapura, West Bengal During the frequent floods in this region, FOOD FOR LIFE volunteers prepare hotkichri (vegetable stew) in huge 200 gallon woks, and carry the food by boat to hungry and distressed villagerswaiting on rooftops.

Irkutsk, Siberia When a huge Russian military transport plane crashed into an apartment block, FOOD FORLIFE volunteers provided more than 800 meals of porridge, stewed vegetables, fresh bread, and tea to victimsand rescue workers.


7/19


UNITED NATIONS MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS`At the 2000 United Nations Millennium Summit, world leaders from 189 nations signed the MillenniumDeclaration, a visionary document containing eight specific goals designed to end extreme poverty throughoutthe world by the year 2015. Sharing the commitment of these nations to the Millennium Development Goals,Food for Life and its affiliate programs are working hard to free our fellow men, women and children fromthe abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty (Millennium Declaration)

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hungerEvery day, 800 million people go to bed hungry and 28,000 children die from poverty-related causes. Worldwide, 1.2billion people live on less than $1 per day.

Food for Life has served more than 900 million hot, nutritious meals in more than 50 countries since itsinception. Every day, Food for Life affiliates distribute more than 1,500,000 free meals daily to needy peopleworldwide.

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary educationAround the world, 115 million school-aged children56% of them girls and 94% of them in developing countriesdo not attend school.

Education provides the key to solving the root causes of hunger by empowering individuals to participate in asocietys economy, but learning is virtually impossible when the pain of hunger is demanding attention. Foodfor Life and its affiliate programs support education by providing not only schools and teachers, but also

nutritious meals to give the body and the mind the fuel to learn. FFLs Midday Meal Programs in India, forexample, feeds more than 1,000,000 children every day in India.

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower womenTwo-thirds of illiterate people are women. Half of the 40 million HIV-positive people in the world are women, andthat proportion is growing. Women held only 15% of legislative seats national assemblies in 2003.

Food for Life recognizes the devastating effects of poverty on women. While women in developing countriesare traditionally responsible for food production, nutrition, family planning, health, and education, resourcesare allocated primarily to men. Food for Life programs seek to lead women out of poverty and into self-sufficiency by providing training and skills, as well as small business loans and cooperative savings programs.

Goal 4: Reduce child mortalityOver 11 million children under the age of five die each year, mostly from preventable diseases.

Food for Life cares for children not only by offering hot, nutritious meals through its direct food reliefprograms, but also through projects such as the Bhaktivedanta Childrens Home (Gokulam). This refugeprovides food, shelter, medical care, and a full education for 130 orphaned and destitute children in a familyatmosphere. Gokulam has begun an expansion campaign to increase its capacity to accommodate 250 children.


8/19


The Millennium Development Goals (Continued)

Goal 5: Improve maternal healthEach year, over 500,000 women die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth, and over 50 million suffer fromserious pregnancy-related illness and disability.

Food for Lifes distribution of balanced, nutritious vegan meals to needy women in developing countries helpsto improve maternal health by combating common nutritional deficiencies, such as anemia and Vitamin Adeficiency.

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseasesWorldwide, 3.1 million people (including 510,000 children) died of AIDS in 2004, as well as 2 million fromtuberculosis and 1 million from malaria.

Nutritional support, health education, and medical services are all part of Food for Lifes efforts to fightdisease and promote health around the world through programs such as the Bhaktivedenta Hospital in India,and Project Future Hope that is saving the lives of orphans in Kenya.

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainabilityOver 2.4 billion people lack access to proper sanitation facilities and one billion lack access to drinkable water. Sometwo million children6,000 a daydie every year from preventable infections spread by dirty water or improper

sanitation facilities.

Food for Life promotes environmental stewardship through education and action programs such as Trees forLife, planting tree saplings in school playgrounds and teaching the school children the importance ofprotecting and maintaining the environment. Furthermore, all of Food for Lifes food programs are completelyplant-based, providing a sustainable alternative to the environmental devastation caused by the meat industry.

Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development Many developing countries spend more on debt service than on social services. Monumental debt compounded byhigh interest rates creates burdens from which these countries will never be free without aid and debt relief fromwealthy nations.

In addition to food distribution, Food for Life and its affiliate programs ease the burden by providing servicessuch as education, vocational training, and health care, building the skills and resources necessary to allowpeople to lift themselves and their communities out of poverty. Contributions from generous donors allowFood for Life to provide services at low cost or no cost to people in need.


9/19


The idea for Working Villages International (WVI) came about in 2004, when FFL volunteer, AlexanderPetroff, was studying economic development in rural east Africa, as part of a college study abroad program.During an internship at the Namalu Ox Hire and Ox Training center in eastern Uganda, he took theopportunity to visit nearby development projects in the area and study their varying effectiveness in helpinglocal people. In a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo in March of that year, Alexander fell in love withthe Ruzizi Valley in the eastern part of that country.

Working with Congolese friends he had met in Uganda, Alexander quickly saw Congo was an area of greatneed, practically untouched by international aid efforts. In addition he felt that the Ruzizi Valley, specifically,was the ideal location to implement Mahatma Gandhis vision of self-sufficient, sustainable development. Avillage founded on Gandhian principles would be an important step forward.

There are very few places on Earth like the Ruzizi Valley. The average temperature remains around 80 degreesFahrenheit all year round. There is plentiful water, rich soil and four growing seasons. Ten years of brutal civilwar destroyed all this. The people of the Ruzizi Valley, in partnership with WVI have begun implementing aninnovative yet practical economic model of sustainable village development. They are literally building amodel village that will have full employment, private ownership of small farms and businesses, zero carbonfootprint, zero hunger, and 100% recycling. This project is a practical demonstration that its possible toprofoundly increase living standards in rural Africa without hampering local culture and ingenuity.

Since the project started in spring 2006, the once-abandoned land of Itarah is now full of productive activityand lush crops. The enthusiastic WVI staff, led by expert agronomist and former UN officer, Fiston Malago,have cultivated a large area, growing over 90 different varieties of crops.

In addition to the new headquarters, food storage facilities, a gazebo, kitchen buildings, showers and toiletshave been constructed. All of these buildings have been built in the traditional manner, using local materialsand local expertise. In preparation for the Ruzizi Valleys short dry season, the workers completed anirrigation network to supply water for thirsty crops. The harvests have been flourishing, and WVIs goal offood self-sufficiency is nearly complete. The fertile soil of Ruzizi has helped make the organic harvests of WVIspectacular: corn 14 feet high, sunflowers three times the size of a mans head, 12 pound cabbages, sweet anddelicious melons, a wide variety of other delicious vegetables and fruits. By the end of 2008, WVI producedenough rice to feed 400,000 people!


10/19


11/19


COTTAGE: Children Of The TsunamiArts, Gifts, and EducationAn Affiliate Project of FOOD FOR LIFE Global

Background

GokulamBhaktivedanta Childrens Home was established in 1999 to provide shelter, food, and clothing to theorphaned and destitute children of Sri Lanka. After the devastating tsunami that struck Sri Lanka December2004 left many new orphans in its wake, Gokulam began working feverishly to expand its facilities toaccommodate these children, with a goal increasing capacity from 75 to 250 children.

COTTAGE, which stands for Children of the TsunamiArts, Gifts, and Education, is a visionary projectdeveloped to support the expansion of the Childrens Home through the marketing of artwork created by thechildren of Gokulam.

How Does COTTAGE Help?

Art as therapy provides a creative outlet for overwhelming emotions that are often hard to verbalize. Theartwork of the Gokulam orphans provides a brilliant look into the poignant experiences endured by thesechildren. By marketing the childrens artwork through greeting cards produced by COTTAGE, Gokulamhopes to raise $250,000 in 2006 to pay for land, new dormitories and a new school building.

With the funding generated by COTTAGE, Gokulams program can serve more children, promoting thehealing and self confidence that will enable them to become happy, healthy adults. In addition, the generousindividuals who support Gokulam by purchasing the orphans creations will enjoy a wonderful gift ofbeautiful art, as well as the knowledge that they have made a meaningful contribution to the lives ofdisadvantaged children by providing resources that will be used for education, nutrition, and health care.

Where Can I Find COTTAGE Cards?

COTTAGE cards are currently only available online. For more information about COTTAGE and how to ordersets, please visit www.cottageyouth.org


12/19


SERVING THE NEEDS OF BODY, MIND AND SOUL

An Affiliate Project of FOOD FOR LIFE Global

In 1986, a group of doctors shared a dream: to bring quality health care at an affordable cost to impoverishedpatients who would otherwise be denied medical treatment. From this collective vision, the BhaktivedantaHospital was born. The seeds of the dreamtraveling medical camps serving the area in and aroundMaharashtrainitially took root as the seven-bed Sri Chaitanya Clinic, and eventually flowered into a state-of-the-art, 130-bed hospital.

Today, Bhaktivedanta Hospital provides holistic health care to 1.5 million people, combining ultra-modern

medical practice with ancient alternative therapies. With a motto of Serving in Devotion, a board of trustees,460 staff members and 100 consulting specialists are the driving force behind the hospitals mission, offering awide variety of health services.

24-hour Emergency Medical Services, including professional EMS team, lifesaving equipment and anintensive care ambulance.

Free health check-ups, including screenings for cardiac risk, diabetes, osteoporosis, and cataract screening. A Department of Spiritual and Emotional Care to treat minds and souls along with bodies. A facility designed with wide-open space, good ventilation and effective use of natural light to facilitate

healing.

Fully computerized, certified 24-hour pathology laboratory with a blood bank and component separationunit. Computerized Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) to secure patient data and make critical

patient information available at all times.

Five state-of-the-art surgical theaters. Sanctified, lacto-vegetarian diet served to patients and staff. 24-hour pharmacy serving the hospital as well as the medical emergencies of the surrounding community. Health Awareness lecture series.Providing medical care is expensive. Bhaktivedanta Hospital relies on the generosity of donors like you tocontinue its mission. For more information or to make a contribution, please visit:

www.bhaktivedantahospital.com

BHAKTIVEDANTA HOSPITAL


13/19


CARE FOR COWS IN VRINDAVAN


Care for Cows in Vrindavan (India), a branch of Food for Life Vrindavan, supports abandoned cows, bulls,retired oxen, and orphaned calves. International volunteers offer their talents and resources to tend to theneglected cows living in Krishna's holy land, providing stray cows with hay, flour, fresh grass, medicalattention, and a place where they can recuperate from injuries. At present, Care for Cows hosts a herd of 90

The philosophy behind Care for Cows is simple. Cows and all other animals have souls and are dear to God

and thus should be protected from slaughter and other violence at the hands of humans. Cows are alsorespected as mothers because of their life-giving milk, which nurtures us.

Because a cow can give milk only after she has birthed a calf and because half of all calves are bulls, breedingcows solely for milk production results in bovine overpopulation, which is expensive for the farmer and leadsto the slaughter of bulls for meat. Care for Cows advocates breeding cows to serve as farm oxen, laboring andeating in the fields and providing natural fertilization.

There are approximately 300 to 400 abandoned cows in Vrindavan requiring accommodation. Unless they areprotected, they are destined to subsist on refuse, plagued by various debilitating and often terminal diseases,and vulnerable to injury by careless motorists. Of even greater concern is the danger that the cows will be

abducted for slaughter by cattle rustlers. The present facility is full, and the need is urgent to acquire moreland for cow protection.

Care for Cows exists because of generous gifts from donors like you. Donations are used to acquire land, buildfacilities, and feed and maintain the cows. For more information or to make a contribution, please visitwww.careforcows.org


14/19


JUST SOME OF THE MANY REASONS

Health

A vegan diet has been shown to lower the risk for many chronic diseases, such as obesity, coronary artery diseasehigh blood pressure, and diabetes, as well as cancer of the colon, breast, prostate, stomach, lung and esophagus. Aplant-based diet eases symptoms of menopause and provides relief from several digestive ailments.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 76 million people are affected by food-borne illness each yearAlthough its possible for any food to be contaminated, the most frequent and severe cases of food-borne illness comefrom meat and other animal products.

Studies at Yale University and elsewhere have shown that anywhere from 5% to 30% of people diagnosed withAlzheimers actually had Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), the human form of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

(BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease). While no smoking gun has yet been found to link Alzheimers to madcow disease, there is ample evidence that Alzheimers, CJD and BSE are similar in their origins and in progression.Furthermore, according to Dr. Lawrence Broxmeyer of Med-America research, the risk of developing Alzheimers isthree times greater for meat eaters than for those on a plant-based diet.

Environment

Raising animals for meat consumes massive quantities of water. According to the article How Our Food Choices canHelp Save the Environment, by Steve Boyan, PhD (www.earthsave.org), eliminating just one pound of beef fromones diet can save as much water as one would save by avoiding showers entirely for six months!

Runoff from factory farms containing chemicals and animal wasteone of the greatest threats to water qualitytodayhas polluted more than 173,000 miles of rivers and streams in the US (Environmental Protection Agency).

World Hunger

Meat production is an expensive and inefficient use of food resources. According to John Robbins in Diet for a NewAmerica, the grain required to feed livestock in America for one day is enough to provide very person on earth withtwo loaves of bread.

Spirituality

Switching to a plant-based diet is good for the soul as well as the body. In making the change, we forego our selfishconsumption of scarce resources in an effort to feed the world, and we condemn the cruel and inhumane practice ofraising animals in abhorrent conditions to feed our taste for meat.

Its Easy

Nothing could be simpler than fresh fruits and vegetables from the earths bounty. And as we become more aware of thenegative impacts of a meat-based diet on the environment, personal health, and world hunger, vegan alternatives arebecoming more visible and widely available in the marketplace.


15/19



Food for Life Vrindavan (FFLV) is a humanitarian association officially recognized by the Indian government. For the lastten years, FFLV has provided basic needs and essential services to the poorest of the poor in the area around Vrindavan.

EducationFFLV offers free education, meals and medical care for 800 of Indias poorest children at their Sandipani Muni School in

Vrindavan. The project has received numerous accolades from the Indian Government.

Basic medical assistanceSeven days a week, FFLV doctors provide free medical treatment toapproximately 200 people (mainly women and children) who otherwise have no

access to medical assistance.

Training courses for womenAlthough women are traditionally responsible for food production, nutrition,family planning, health, and education, men are the primary recipients ofresources; women are exploited, illiterate, poverty stricken, and living in the mostunsanitary conditions. Providing women with training in skills that will lead toself-sufficiency is FFLVs highest priority.

Drilling for drinking water and constructing water tanksFor the past five decades, the water in the villages around Vrindavan has been contaminated with water so salty, even theanimals couldnt drink it. Villagers were constantly ill. FFLV has brought sweet drinking water to 40,000 people in six

villages, and delivery to additional villages is in progress.

Assistance to the elderly and the disabledThe elderly and disabled are most susceptible to the suffering caused by extreme poverty, and widows are especiallyvulnerable in a society where women have virtually no rights. FFLV takes special care of the defenseless.

Distribution of clothesThe Sandipani Muni School provides school uniforms and seasonally appropriate clothing to every child.

Environmental projects and educationFFLV maintains a tree nursery and an organic farm, distributing tree saplings, to villagers. FFLV plants tree saplingsmore than 3,000 to date!in villages, school yards, and playgrounds, educating children about the importance ofprotecting and maintaining the environment.

Providing primary school education for disadvantaged children

An educated child grows to become an integral part of the social fabric; his learning and skills shape the Nation. TheSandipani Muni School provides children from the age of nine months with the tools and confidence they will need togrow into adulthood as productive members of society

For more informationvisit: www.fflvrindavan.org


16/19


FOOD FOR LIFE MISSION,AIMS &OBJECTIVES

Food for Life's overall mission is: To bring about peace and prosperity in the world through the liberaldistribution of pure food prepared with love.

Food for Life projects span the globe and all have unique local aims and objectives. However, all Food forLife projects will have the following underlying aims and objectives as part of their overall strategy.

Welfare: To provide pure vegan meals to the disadvantaged, malnourished and victims of disaster (naturalor manmade), wherever there is a need in the world.

Education: To establish Food for Life Education centers throughout the world. These centers will providefree or inexpensive meals, counseling, yoga classes, and living skills training as taught in the Vedic tradition.

Youth Development: To establish Rural Academies for Youth (Food for Life R.A.Y. of Hope"), wherebypeople from the ages of 16-25 are trained in sustainable agriculture, yoga, cow protection and personalwellness.

Non-Violence: To reduce the amount of animals slaughtered for food, by giving as many people as possiblethe higher taste of pure vegan food.

Hospitality: To revive the ancient Vedic culture of hospitality, and to teach people by example, that there isspiritual equality among all beings.


17/19


THE CULTURE OF HOSPITALITY

Is there anybody hungry? Please come to my home, my wife has prepared a meal. We have enough to feed 20 hungry men.She has prepared the finest rice, curry, and puris (fried bread). I will not take my meal until I know that every man,woman, and child is fed.

Such selfless gestures of hospitality were common in the village life of ancient India. The religioushouseholders of the Vedic times saw themselves as providers for all living beings, including the animals. Nocreature was allowed to go without food during the pinnacle of Vedic civilization in India. This is the fertile

ground in which the seeds of Food for Lifes philosophy were sown.

THE MEANING OF HOSPITALITY

According to the Oxford Dictionary, hospitality is "a friendly and generous reception of guests or strangers." Tobe hospitable, therefore, means to care and show respect for another being. It is a sincere expression ofappreciation, love, and humility. A person whose heart is filled with gratitude, magnanimity, and spiritualityis naturally hospitable.

Its important to note that hospitality is not the same as entertaining, which is, unfortunately, the more commonapproach today. When we entertain, we put all of our effort into the eventthe appearance of the home, therich, high-calorie/low-nutrient food and refreshments, and seating and table settings. We judge the success orfailure of the event by such unimportant details as whether or not the souffl fell or the ice ran out. In contrast,hospitality focuses on the comfort and wellbeing of our guests, and our desire to freely share our home, thenutritious, life-giving food we have prepared, and above all, us.

Some hosts put so much energy into preparations for entertaining that they have little left for their guests. Bythe time the guests leave, the host is exhausted. Hospitality, on the other hand, is physically and spirituallyrefreshing and nourishing. Simply put, entertaining comes from pride; hospitality comes from humility.

Hospitality does not distinguish based on species, race, caste, creed, or color; these differences are meaninglessfrom a spiritual perspective. Rather, hospitality welcomes all with loving warmth. For an example of profoundhospitality, see the story of King Rantideva on the Food for Life website (www.ffl.org ).


18/19


With roots in Indian culture, the Food for Life project is a modern day revival of the ancient Vedic culture ofhospitality. Since the beginning of recorded time, sharing of food has been a fundamental part of the civilizedworld and in India, such hospitality was based on the understanding of the equality of all beings.

In 1974, an elderly Indian swami, Srila Prabhupada, shocked and saddened upon seeing a group of villagechildren fighting with street dogs over scraps of food, told his yoga students: No one within ten miles of atemple should go hungry . . . I want you to immediately begin serving food. Hearkening to the swamis plea,Krishna devotees around the world were inspired to expand that original effort into a global network of freefood kitchens, cafes, vans, and mobile services, establishing daily delivery routes in many large cities aroundthe world.

FOOD FOR LIFE also provides food relief in times of natural and man-made disasters:

In the war zone of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzagovina, FOOD FOR LIFE volunteers visited orphanages, homes forthe elderly, hospitals, institutes for handicapped children, and basement shelters on a daily basisthroughout the three-year conflict; an estimated 20 tons of food have been distributed since 1992.

When an earthquake devastated Latur, India, in 1993, FOOD FOR LIFE volunteers drove 300 kilometers tobe on the scene within hours, supplying 52,000 meals, clothing, and medical supplies to distressedvillagers.

FOOD FOR LIFEs most valiant efforts in war-torn Grozny, Chechnya were noted in a New York Times article(December 12, 1995) that stated: Here, [FOOD FOR LIFE volunteers] have a reputation like the one MotherTeresa has in Calcutta: its not hard finding people to swear they are saints.

FOOD FOR LIFEwas the first food relief agency to respond to the tsunami disaster of December 2004.


19/19

Volunteers in Sri Lanka and India provided more than 350,000 freshly cooked meals during the monthsimmediately following the tsunami, along with medical care, water, clothing, and shelter.

All food prepared and distributed by FOOD FOR LIFE is sanctified, a term rooted in Hindu tradition. People of allfaiths, however, are familiar with the spiritual practices of thanksgiving and offering to God the first of theearths yield. The meals provided by Food for Life thus nourish both body and soul.

Today, Food for Life has emerged as the worlds largest vegan food relief program with thousands ofvolunteers in over 50 countries providing hundreds of millions of free meals since 1974. For more informationplease visit www.ffl.org

food for life (vegan hunger-relief charity)

Documents