Way to go! Kochi restaurant installs 'public fridge' to feed the needy

Kochi: A restaurant owner in Kerala's Kochi has come up with a novel way to feed the homeless.

Minu Pauline, owner of a popular tea stall-cum-restaurant called ‘Pappadavada’, is the brain behind the initiative.

Her restaurant has installed a 'public refrigerator' outside its premises in Kaloor, where people can come and drop leftover (and even fresh) food for the poor.

The food can then be picked up by the homeless for free.

The initiative, which was launched on March 23, has been named “Nanma Maram”.

“My intention is to save food as most people seem to waste a lot of food. With this venture, people can bring in edible leftovers to feed the hungry poor,” Minu was quoted as saying by The News Minute.

The restaurant will mark each packet dropped at 'Nanma Maram' with date and time to make sure stale food is not handed over to the needy.

The restaurant itself is donating 50 food-packets each day.

And in further good news for the homeless, Minu says, “Fresh leftovers are available in plenty.”

(Minu got the idea for the initiative from the Malappuram Municipality's January 2015 project named ‘Akshayapathram’ as part of which people could deposit fresh as well as leftover food in refrigerators owned by the government and placed in specified locations.)