THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ‘Lunch Bell’ initiative, launched by the Kudumbashree to serve homely meals to government officials and staff of private institutions, has turned out to be an instant success. Launched a month ago, home-cooked lunches will be delivered at selected locations at affordable rates in the capital.
As many as 3,000 lunch boxes were delivered and recorded a sale of Rs 1.5 lakh since its launch.
At present, Kudumbashree is delivering food at five locations -- Pattom, LMS, Medical College Hospital, Statue and Ayurveda College. “We have received around 1,700 orders so far. The response is overwhelming and we are planning to expand soon,” said an official of the Kudumbashree Mission.
Currently, nine delivery staff have been deployed for delivery part. In the next phase, Kudumbashree is planning to expand its services to Collectorate and Technopark. “We plan to increase the number of delivery staff to 50 and expand the service to more locations,” the official added.
According to the Kudumbashree catering unit engaged for the project, the demand for lunch boxes are on the rise. “We are providing around 150 lunch boxes per day but the demand is more. Many people are unable to place orders because the daily limit has been set at 150. There are limitations because of the number of delivery staff. We are capable of delivering 500 lunch boxes,” said a staff member of the catering unit.
“At present, we are running the kitchen with 10 workers. If we get more orders we will be able to employ more staff in the kitchen. We can generate more employment opportunities,” the staff added.