'No one should go hungry'

Profuse distribution of prasadam, vegetarian food offered to Krsna, is integral to the Hare Krishna movement. Srila Prabhupada writes in his commentary on the Caitanya-Caritamrita:

"In the Hare Krishna movement, the chanting of Hare Krishna Maha-mantra, the dancing in ecstacy and the eating of remnants offered to the Lord, are very important.

One may be illiterate or incapable of understanding the philosophy, but if partakes of these three items, he will certainly be liberated without delay."

Elsewhere in the Caitanya-Caritamrita, Srila Prabhupada explains,

"Actually, by eating such prasadam one is freed of all the contaminations of the material condition."

Giving prasadam specifically to the poor is also an important theme in the Vedic Literature. The Srimad Bhagavatam glorifies King Rantideva who, at the point of breaking a 48-day fast, fed two beggars the very food he was about to eat. Srila Prabhupada explains this selfless quality thus:

" A Vaishnava (devotee of Krsna) is, therefore, described as being ... very much aggrieved by the suffering of others. As such, a Vaishnava engages in activities for the real welfare of human society"

In India in the early seventies, Srila Prabupada began ISKCON Food Relief (IFR). One of his mandates for the project was that "no one within 10 miles of the temple should go hungry"

This was a big task. IFR grew and fed vast numbers of India's poor. ISKCON's public affairs ministry decided to name the programme ... "Hare Krishna Food for Life", remembering that Krsna is the essence of all life and all food would be prepared for the pleasure of Krsna.

It began in 1982 in San Diego. Within five years the programme has spanned the globe and now is active in dozens of cities.