Nupur Panjabi walked away from a thriving business to feed thousands of homeless people
- Nupur Panjabi left her IT business to start a community kitchen in Virginia feeding homeless people
- Anna Sudha kitchen provides 6,500 meals a month with a team of 300 volunteers
- Meals combine Indian flavours with American dishes like pasta and butter chicken
A former IT staffing entrepreneur, Nupur Panjabi walked away from a thriving business to build something very different, a community kitchen that now feeds thousands of homeless people across Virginia. "I'm not even a millionaire," she says, with a smile.
Her mission of compassion unfolds at a time when the US is grappling with stark contrasts. While volunteers in Virginia rally to serve hot meals to those in need, Washington DC has witnessed an extraordinary military-style deployment.
President Donald Trump has ordered nearly 2,000 National Guard troops into the capital as part of what he calls a crime crackdown. But instead of patrolling high-crime neighborhoods, the troops have been stationed in tourist-heavy areas like the National Mall, among the safest parts of the city.
Critics, including Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, argue the deployment is more about political theater than public safety. "We have an armed militia in the nation's capital," she warned this week.
Although crime rates have declined in recent years, the Pentagon has confirmed that troops will soon carry weapons as part of their mission. Retired National Guard Major General Randy Manner called it "a step towards militarising America's cities" and predicted deployments to places like Chicago and New York.
Against this backdrop, Panjabi's kitchen, 'Anna Sudha' which implies food and nectar of love in Sanskrit, has become a beacon of hope. What began as her personal journey after the loss of her mother and the upheaval of COVID-19 has grown into a volunteer-driven movement of compassion.
"I grew my IT business from scratch. When my mother passed away and then the pandemic hit, I started questioning everything. That's when the idea of a kitchen came about," she recalls.
Today, Anna Sudha provides 6,500 meals a month to shelters across the region. With a team of 300 volunteers, the kitchen delivers comforting dishes that mix Indian flavours with American favourites', from pasta topped with chicken to samosas, chickpeas, and butter chicken.
For many, the meals are a lifeline. "I live under a bridge in a tent, and this place has helped me survive," says Tom, one of the beneficiaries. "They serve all different dishes, but I love the Indian ones."
Volunteers say the project has fostered a sense of shared purpose. "It's so gratifying to work with people from all walks of life for a community cause," says Shalika, a longtime volunteer. To stay sustainable, the kitchen also runs summer cooking camps for children, where families pay for classes and kids learn to cook Indian favorites like dosas and uttapams.
In one part of America, volunteers in Virginia quietly hand out meals to those who would otherwise go hungry. In another, soldiers in fatigues patrol the marble monuments of Washington, a presence many see as a symbolic show of force.
For Panjabi, however, the solution lies not in power but in compassion. "After running this kitchen for four years, I feel a deep sense of satisfaction," she says. "This is my happy place."
