Mother's Kitchen

Mother Teresa Children’s Foundation is making it possible to give hungry, homeless children on the streets of Bangalore a hot meal and a ray of hope. The “Mother’s Friendship Kitchen,” donated by MTCF, provides up to 1,200 meals a day to some of the city's most helpless children.

This mobile feeding center, “Anna Vahini” in the local vernacular, makes it possible for us to reach children who otherwise would have gone hungry. “Because this kitchen is mobile, we can go to where the children need us the most,” says Dr. Sajan George Kavinkalath, the founder of MTCF. “Many times the children who are starving and dying have no way to come to shelters where they could receive food and care. They are too weak or the distance is too great for them to travel. Now we can bring life-saving food right into the slums and streets where the children live. This is the legacy that Mother Teresa left us with, and we are proud to equip this mobile kitchen in her memory.”

The kitchen contains 24 large, stainless steel pots that hold enough rice and “sambar”, a kind of vegetable stew, to deliver up to 1,200 meals in a single trip. It costs about $480 to fill the kitchen with food for a day or about 40 cents per meal—the only meal some children eat in a whole day. Already, “Mother’s Kitchen” has made a difference in the lives of many hungry children, providing them with a warm nutritious meal.

In addition to a nutritious meal, the children receive medical screenings and additional care. The “Mother’s Kitchen” is often the first point of contact for these children that will develop into a lasting relationship with relief workers and caregivers. “Our vision does not stop with one or two of these mobile kitchens, but we are working to see a whole fleet of active feeding and care centers all over India and the world,” says Dr. George. “Until every child is fed, protected, and cared for, we will not cease to look to the example of Mother Teresa and reach out to the poorest of the poor all over the world.”