When I first told my friends about food banks, Arif thought it was like a bank where people keep food in lockers. I can still see him imagining someone withdrawing chapati instead of cash.

But seriously, food banks are no joke. They collect food that would otherwise go to waste and give it to people who need it. It’s such a simple idea, and it works. Did you know there are over 1,000 food banks in the UK? 

When I explained this to my friends, their first reaction was, ‘Wait, aren’t England and America rich? Why do they need food banks?’ But hunger doesn’t care where you’re from or how much money your country has. It is everywhere.

So we asked ourselves: if food banks work so well in other countries, why can’t we start one here? And that’s how our little adventure began.

Our first challenge? Finding food. We went door to door, asking neighbors and shopkeepers for donations. Some people were so kind, they gave us rice, lentils, and even fresh vegetables. But then there were the uncles who thought we were selling something. One of them said, ‘Are you selling onions? Then no thanks, I’ll buy them next month when the prices drop.’

We collected as much as we could and then needed a place to store it. That’s where Rehan’s dad came in. He let us use his old storeroom. We cleaned it up, put up shelves, and labeled everything, or at least, we tried. Rehan, our ‘chief organizer,’ accidentally labeled a bag of rice as flour. Let’s just say we made some very sticky bread that week.

But it wasn’t all funny moments. There was a mother who came to us in tears. She told us, ‘Tonight, my children will sleep with full stomachs for the first time this week.’ That moment, it broke my heart, but it also made me so proud of what we had done.

In just one month, we helped close to 50 families. People who were worried about where their next meal would come from could finally breathe a little easier. One elderly man told us, ‘You gave me hope.’ That’s when I realized: this wasn’t just about food. It was about dignity and kindness.

Look, we are just kids. We didn’t have money, we didn’t have experience, but we had an idea, and a lot of heart. If we can do it, so can you. Start small. Talk to people. You would be amazed at how much food goes to waste that could be used to feed someone in need.

Hunger doesn’t wait for tomorrow. Neither should we. Together, we can fight hunger and build hope.