Towards a world of dignity for the elderly – My Take by Veena K T

Spandana Foundation was started in the basement of my house in Bengaluru in May 2006. Now it’s been 11 years and we are getting ready to celebrate the occasion in a big way.

We support many programs for the welfare of the elderly, people with disabilities and children. We have a special focus on the elderly as their needs tend to get neglected.

Last year, we started a free lunch program for senior citizens at Rajajinagar in association with Sumadhura Darshini, a neighbourhood restaurant. At first, we were reaching out to about 50 elders. Today the number is over 400.

Senior citizens who have registered with Spandana are given ID cards which they show at the hotel. They can order anything on the menu. We also have many elders with disabilities who are registered with us. They cannot come to the hotel so their caretakers take the food in a parcel.

The people we are reaching out to are truly the needy. Many of them are neglected, even abandoned by their children.

There are many challenges in running this free meal program but when we see the happiness we feel it’s worth expanding this program. We also get a lot of support in the form of donations so it helps to keep this going. We are planning to tie up with other restaurants to reach more elders.

About the Writer

Veena K T is the president and managing trustee of Spandana Foundation, a group that is committed towards building a better society. If you would like to contribute towards this initiative, contact Spandana at 096203-59972.