New Delhi, August 22, 2025: Café Delhi Heights, in collaboration with Neighbourhood Woof and HEART, has been running Project Feeding Forward, an initiative that redirects surplus restaurant food to feed rescued and stray dogs in the capital.
Launched in November 2024, the initiative has so far diverted more than 5,500 kilograms of safe, edible food from being wasted and turned it into meals for street animals. Operating for over 210 days, the programme collects between 15 and 35 kilograms of food daily from Café Delhi Heights’ Red Fort outlet, with Neighbourhood Woof ensuring safe collection, cooking, and distribution.
“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,” said Shirin Batra, founder of HEART and part of the Café Delhi Heights family. “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.”
Founded in 2014 by Ayesha Christina Benn, Neighbourhood Woof works as a registered Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre. The organisation has sterilised and vaccinated over 21,500 dogs, treated more than 6,100 sick and injured canines, and responded to more than 600 animal cruelty cases. Speaking on the partnership, Benn said, “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.”
The programme has been positioned as a call to action for the wider food and hospitality sector to adopt similar practices, ensuring surplus food is responsibly redirected to support both community and animal welfare.
x
.jpg)
