'Hunger message' to more people now with PM's Twitter handle, says woman achiever

Mohandoss, a Chennai resident, who launched her 'Food Bank,' an initiative to provide food to the homeless in 2015 said she was very happy and proud to have got the opportunity.

"I think if there is a word better than proud to convey what I feel. It was a huge responsibility since the Prime Minister himself provided the opportunity which has to be used appropriately and the message should correctly reach the people. Every word counts and I believe I have used this opportunity rightly," she told PTI here.

Through the PM's twitter handle, the message has reached a wider section of people, she said.

On her work, the 27-year-old said she does not solicit or accept money from anyone and was dependent on contributions in kind and support of volunteers to cook and supply food to the beneficiaries.

She said she believed she would get more support for her initiative in areas like food preparation, storage and supply in view of the opportunity she got to send across her message through the Prime Minister's social media account.

Asked how she got the opportunity, she said she was shortlisted by the Prime Minister's Office after a volunteer nominated her name and it was shared by many on the social media. "I received a call from the PMO that I have been shortlisted. I was told that I will be the first person to tweet and I felt our effort has paid off," she said.

Be it the Chennai floods of 2015 or cyclone Gaja, it was the Food Bank's dedicated volunteers who took upon themselves the task of getting raw materials for cooking food and sending it to those who needed it, she said.

"It is the work of volunteers. I am not the only one who is behind providing food to the homeless."

Food Bank has 18 chapters including those in Delhi, Pune, and Hyderabad and a volunteer from South Africa has also been working, she said. "Our policy is not to collect money and our volunteers everywhere stick to it," she said.

Depending on contributions, the number of beneficiaries vary and in a month 'mass cooking,' was being done to feed the homeless, she said adding in Chennai, there are about 100 volunteers and across the country there are more than 500, she said.

In her tweet in the Prime Minister's handle, she said, "You heard of food for thought. Now, it is time for action and a better future for our poor.

"Hello, I am @snehamohandoss. Inspired by my mother, who instilled the habit of feeding the homeless, I started this initiative called Foodbank India. #SheInspiresUs."

In her 2.37-minute video clip, she said, "The basic motto is to fight against hunger and create a hunger-free nation."

In a unique social media initiative, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday handed over his accounts on various platforms to seven woman achievers from different fields to share their life journeys and messages on the International Women's Day.

From a farmer to activists working in the fields of sanitation, disability rights, water conservation and fighting hunger to somebody dedicated to reviving Kashmir handicraft industry, women used Modi's accounts  which enjoy a huge following, to share their stories and spread their messages.