Application for Charity Status
The Volunteer Team at Asian Lunch Seva is pleased to inform, with all humility, that they have submitted an application with the Charity Commission to achieve Charity Status. This application is currently pending. It is our intention to update our website, once Charity status has been achieved. However, in the meantime, we feel it is important that we share more information about our Objectives and Mission.
Currently Asian Lunch Seva is operating as a Non-Profit Organisation. The application for Charity Status has been made utilising the CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation) route.
Mission & Objects
When we first embarked upon this journey, our intention was to provide a freshly cooked, nutritious Indian vegetarian meal to our Elderly Community in a safe space where they could interact with other like minded individuals and engage in social interaction and make friends. An environment was created where our Patrons had a break from their normal routine and we witnessed them actually looking forward to attending every week. At the same time, we introduced a “Buy One Feed One” policy where if an Elderly person bought a meal, Asian Lunch Seva would donate a meal for free to a Homeless or Needy person.
We also recognised that certain members of our Elderly community had mobility issues or were not otherwise able to attend our safe space. For those individuals, we provide a delivery service entirely supported by Volunteers.
From these humble beginnings, we have narrowed down our objectives to the following:
- To relieve poverty and financial hardship among elderly persons and people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, particularly in Leicester and the surrounding areas, by providing free or low-cost meals, essential supplies, and access to community support services.
- To promote social inclusion for the public benefit among people who are socially excluded due to age, homelessness, or poverty by providing opportunities for social interaction, companionship, and community engagement through food service initiatives and related support
Geographic Scope
We currently serve the community of Leicester and surrounding areas. We are hoping to extend the reach of our service to greater areas of Leicester and its surround and also to other towns and cities in the United Kingdom.
We welcome the opportunity to share our knowledge and methodology to other groups who would like to emulate our services. That way the reach of our valuable services will rapidly extend.
What we do – the service we provide to the Community
In addition to the food service we provide, we believe we provide and/or contribute to the following:
- The mental health well-being of our service users
- A safe space for social inclusion and interaction
- We give time and listen to our service users – this enables us to sign-post them to other services they may need or require
The entire ethos of our volunteers is one of humility and service – we truly feel we are blessed to be able to serve our Community in this manner.
Asian Lunch Seva is a community-led initiative based in Leicester that provides low cost and/or free, freshly cooked vegetarian meals to elderly individuals and people experiencing homelessness. Operating weekly for the past three years as a Not for Profit venture, our team of volunteers prepares and distributes over 200 meals per session across local outreach points, shelters, and community halls.
In addition to meal services, we provide:
- Essential care packs (including hygiene items, warm clothing, and blankets)
- Social support and signposting to services such as housing advice and medical referral
- Companionship initiatives to reduce social isolation among the elderly
Our work is rooted in the principles of compassion, dignity, and inclusivity, and is delivered without discrimination to anyone in need, regardless of background, ethnicity, faith, or circumstance. All services are provided free of charge, see caveat below, and funded through community donations and volunteer support. Those community members who can afford to buy a meal do so at a discounted rate and in so doing enable a Homeless or needy person to be fed for free – “Buy One Feed One”. To date, we have received no local Government support and have relied on the goodwill of our Patrons who whole-heartedly support our Mission and the good that we do.
We are applying to register as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation to formalise our governance structure, strengthen accountability, and expand our capacity to serve the growing needs of Leicester’s disadvantaged communities.
Who Benefits from our Services ?
We believe the following groups would benefit from our services :
- The local Elderly Community
- The Homeless Community
- Those on low income and using Food Banks to supplement their Food intake
- Those who are socially isolated
Governance / Trustees
Asian Lunch Seva is currently a non-profit organisation and has applied to the Charity Commission to register as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).
Our organisation is overseen by a Board of Trustees who are responsible for ensuring we remain true to our charitable objectives, act with integrity, and use all funds responsibly for the public benefit. Trustees serve voluntarily and receive no personal financial benefit, other than reimbursement of legitimate expenses.
Our Constitution requires us to have a minimum of 3 Trustees. During the application process, we have restricted the number of our Trustees to the minimum of 3. However, we hope to be able to expand upon that number in the future as demand necessitates. We welcome applications from those individuals who are interested in becoming Trustees (include link to application page).
Meet our proposed Trustees
Vijay Kiumar Maru – Chair
Rakhi Kaur Neyta – Experience in social care and finance
Harshil Tanna – Volunteer Co-ordinator
It is intended that our Board will meet at least every quarter. They will be responsible for oversight of strategy, risk assessment, review of finances and ensuring compliance with Charity law. Trustees will serve in a voluntary capacity and may only claim back vetted expenses in line with our expenses policy.
Our Trustees are committed to the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability as set out in the Charity Commission’s Code of Governance.