Hare Krishna Food for Life (FFL) is the world’s largest vegetarian food distribution program serving millions of meals daily, with projects in over 60 countries. With roots in the Vaishnava culture of charity and the distribution of pure food to all, the project is a modern day revival of the ancient culture of hospitality and a belief in the equality of all beings. Food For Life has been lauded by The New York Times and government relief agencies worldwide for its efforts worldwide.

Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON’s Founder- Acharya, is the inspiration behind Food for Life. He stated in 1972 that “No one within ten miles of an ISKCON temple should go hungry.” Since that time ISKCON devotees have expanded a global network of free food restaurants, mobile services and relief programs establishing daily delivery routes in many large cities around the world.

Currently, Food for Life’s largest programs are in India. More than 1.2 million school children are a served multi-course hot, healthy, and tasty lunch six days a week in cities throughout the sub-continent, through a partnership with the Indian government for the ‘Mid-day Meal’ scheme. Education administrators have stated that the ISKCON Food for Life program, known locally as Annamrita, actually facilitates many poor children to attend school. Otherwise, they explain, without the program the children would be forced to work as child laborers to earn enough to eat for the day. 

Food for Life volunteers also respond to natural disasters, bringing food and hope into the lives of people affected by events such as the wars in Bosnia and Chechnya, the Indian Ocean Tsunami, the typhoon Haiyan, and Hurricane Katrina. 

• Floods in Jammu & Kashmir, India (2014): During the floods, devotees from ISKCON Delhi and Ghaziabad cooked prasadam for 10,000 people per day continuously for two weeks. The devotees would daily pack the prasadam (food), which was cooked to last longer than usual and with the help of Indian Air Force would ship it daily to be served at the flood rehabilitation centers.
• Phailin Storm in Oddisa, India (2013): Food for Life volunteers from several cities came together to provide assistance and food during the Phailin storm and continued to provide assistance every after a month. During this period, the devotees served more than 25,000 villagers with hot and nutritious prasadam on daily basis.
• Earthquake in Pakistan (2006): Food for Life volunteers from several cities in neighboring India came together to provide relief. Working closely with local military and police, the volunteers set up a base at an ISKCON temple in Udhampur within the earthquake-affected region, and loaded trucks with drinking water, rice, bread, and blankets. The Food for Life team provided these items to the earthquake victims, including survivors in towns with the most severe damage.
• Hurricane Katrina in Gulf Coast, U.S. (2005): Local Food for Life team members ventured into the hardest hit areas of the Gulf Coast, to distribute hot, fresh meals to affected residents. Food for Life teams in Texas continued to offer aid to evacuees and displaced refugees, serving up to 800 meals daily for several months following the disaster.
• Tsunami in Southeast Asia (2004): Food for Life was quick to respond, providing relief support and hot vegetarian meals to people on the same day of the disaster. In Sri Lanka alone more than 10,000 meals have been provided daily, along with medical care, clothing, and shelter for orphaned children.
• Cyclone in Orissa, India (1999): Food for Life was able to distribute more than one million vegetarian meals, along with water bottles, blankets, clothes, and first aid treatment to the devastated survivors.
• War in Grozny, Chechnya (1995): Since the beginning of the Russian counter insurgency campaign on Dec. 11, 1994, Food for Life volunteers risked their lives to serve 850,000 bowls of hot porridge, freshly baked bread and tea to the local residents. A New York Times article declared that in Grozny, the Food For Life Krishna devotees “have a reputation like the one mother Teresa has in Calcutta: it’s not hard finding someone to swear they are saints. In a city full of lies, greed, and corruption, the Krishnas deliver the goods.”

“(ISKCON) movement, Just imagine…within a short span of time…today I am told ISKCON movement runs more than 600 centres all over the world, everyday in India it provides food to over one million children…healthy food…and the message…of love, compassion, which is inherent in Indian civilization.”
– Pranab Mukherjee, President of India.

We are making a big Kitchen in Wave City so that we can serve more people. You can contribute to us by clicking on, Donate Now.