School dropout feeds thousands of the poor and hungry with leftover wedding food

 Who is he?

RB Shivakumar, a 41-year-old leaf merchant in Rajajinagar, Bangalore has been a ray of hope for the needy in his city, he’s a hero to them. His journey began 16 years ago when he was shocked to see how so much food is wasted in almost every ceremony or public gathering. Shivakumar thinks it is unfair to waste food when many are still dying of hunger every day.
Shivakumar is always ready to help the ones who want to join this service or benefit from it.

What has he done?

The 2011 survey report by the University of Agricultural Sciences tells a shocking story – food worth Rs 400 crore is wasted every year in social gatherings in Bengaluru alone.

1. Shivakumar has linked up with almost 100 marriage halls in the city. Put in large containers, food reaches around 20,000 people through his vehicle designated for this service. He received over 120 calls on the eve of Akshay Tritya and managed to collect food from almost 40 halls, which was used to feed 28,000 slum dwellers.
2. His good deeds do not finish just here as he also supplies drinking water to over 80 bus stands. In addition, to that, he has also built 20 shelters for the homeless.
3. Shivakumar also sponsors 10 school children every year, distributes them textbooks and notebooks, he also lends bus passes to the low income families.

Shivakumar tastes food himself before agreeing to pick it up. While handling a call from Banaswadi, Shivakumar was confronted by an angry customer at his shop. “I really don’t know how I manage to balance the two, but I’m doing it somehow,” he smiled.

Shivakumar is disappointed and saddened that he only has three drivers, an auto-rickshaw and a van driver for help. “There is no end to disappointment – from cops who expect bribes at the railway station to the in-difference people show by not helping me distribute food in their area,” he says.

Shivakumar plans on constructing a cold storage facility that can store food for 10,000 people. Shivakumar can be contacted at 9900568514.