Each night in Delhi, as restaurant kitchens wind down and plates are cleared, countless stray dogs lie in wait hungry, invisible, and unheard. Meanwhile, kilos of untouched food are quietly discarded. In a city overflowing with both abundance and neglect, three organisations decided to rewrite this story.
In November 2024, Café Delhi Heights, Neighbourhood Woof, and HEART launched Project Feeding Forward, a transformative initiative that redirects surplus restaurant food to feed rescued and stray dogs. What began as a simple act of compassion has grown into a scalable model for food rescue and street animal welfare. To date, the project has diverted over 5,500 kilograms of safe, edible food from being wasted and turned it into nourishment for Delhi’s voiceless companions.
Running from over 210 days, the initiative ensures daily food collection of 15 to 35 kilograms, with notable peaks in December and March–April. Orchestrated from Café Delhi Heights’ Red Fort outlet, the system relies on tight coordination with Neighbourhood Woof, whose team ensures that food is collected promptly, cooked safely and served to dogs in need.
The project has created a rhythm of compassion, one that bridges the kitchen and the kennel. In the wake of recent developments around stray dog management, the initiative continues to work in harmony with all legal directives, ensuring that every act of feeding is carried out responsibly, safely, and with deep respect for both community and animal welfare.
At the centre of this effort is Shirin Batra, founder of HEART and the second generation of the iconic Café Delhi Heights family. A lifelong animal lover and social changemaker, Shirin formally joined the family business in 2024. Her discovery of how much edible food was being discarded each night led to a spark of action one rooted in both purpose and practicality.
“It broke my heart to see trays of perfectly good food discarded at the end of each night, while outside, hungry eyes waited silently for a scrap of kindness,” says Shirin. “Project Feeding Forward is our way of closing that loop–of turning leftovers into nourishment, and apathy into action. This isn’t just about saving food. It’s about recognising that compassion can—and must—be built into the everyday operations of our industries.”
Shirin’s NGO, HEART, founded in her teens by selling her artwork to support underserved communities, has always focused on nourishment, dignity, and inclusion. Through this initiative, she is able to extend those values to both human and animal lives, merging social innovation with business strategy in her current role leading Financial Innovation, Strategy, and Marketing at Café Delhi Heights.
The impact of Project Feeding Forward would not be possible without the continued efforts of Neighbourhood Woof, a pioneering animal welfare organisation founded in 2014 by Ayesha Christina Benn. Neighbourhood Woof operates as a registered Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre, helping address the growing dog-human conflict in Indian cities.
Their work includes sterilisation, vaccination, and rescue of sick or abused animals, contributing to safer communities and healthier dogs. To date, they have sterilised and vaccinated over 21,500 dogs, treated more than 6,100 sick and injured canines, and responded to over 600 cases of animal cruelty. Their Timarpur-based facility in North Delhi is known for its clean, infection-free care environment and deeply humane treatment of every animal that comes through its doors.
“What I find so inspiring is the youngest generation in her business, here’s a girl questioning processes, doing her best to minimise waste in as many ways possible and most importantly, finding ways to divert that to where it’s needed most. The remarkable results of her effort humble us and we hope you share this sweet story as far and wide to show – how far a little effort and dedication can take us. Hats off and a bow Shirin , from our team to yours says Ayesha Christina Benn, Founder, Neighbourhood Woof”
This initiative is more than a partnership, it is a call to action for India’s food and hospitality industry. In a country where street dogs are not abandoned pets but free-roaming sentient beings, the need for responsible, sustainable solutions is urgent. Project Feeding Forward serves as a living example of how small shifts in restaurant operations can fuel big changes in urban welfare ecosystems. In a world where excess coexists with deprivation, this initiative reminds us that true success lies not in what we consume but in what we choose to give back.
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