These IIT guys say, hog for charity
HOG FOR CHARITY

Call home to say you will be eating out all through this month. It's for a good cause, after all

If you want to play the part of Mr and Ms Samaritan, all you need to do is hop into an eatery to tuck into a sumptuous meal. Trust a couple of IITians to put together a fab win-win idea. Throughout this month, Mumbaikars will enjoy discounts at restaurants by simply swiping a card. Wait, it gets better. A chunk of your bill goes towards an NGO that will make sure a girl child in India gets her share of two square meals a day too.


(Left to right) Nikhil Dhoka along with his colleagues, Ajay Jain and
Amit Kumar Arya. PIC /ATUL KAMBLE

The Mumbai Community Card (MCC), a brainchild of former IITian Nikhil Dhoka, is a loyalty card that ensures every time you run an errand, a part of what you spend goes to CRY (Child Relief and You), an NGO that works to secure the rights of underprivileged children. So, even while you indulge in mundane grocery shopping, get a haircut or buy a pair of spectacles, you enjoy discounts, collect redeemable points, and end up doing charity. The MCC card costs just Rs 99.

As we step into the new financial year, Nikhil's idea of raising more funds comes in the form of a Dining Marathon. "We have tied up with restaurants, bakeries and ice-cream parlours," says Nikhil (see box). The idea occurred to him and his buddies while they were enjoying a meal at a Powai eatery, while a frail urchin sat outside, hungry. "We gave her some loose change once our meal was done, but realised it was just a temporary solution. There was no organised channel to donate on an everyday basis," he says.

The Mumbai Community Card currently has a presence in Powai, though the group is looking to expand their base all over the city, and eventually across India. The merchants gain in terms of a loyal consumer base (5,000 and counting), which they can track when they are introducing a new product or offer. From the 5% rebate they offer, 0.5% goes to CRY; you get to keep the rest.

Restaurants you should head to
Bread Talk ( Powai)
Bistro Grill (Powai)
Bowl House
(Ghatkopar and Vashi)
Utsav (Powai)
Kin Kon Roccs (Powai)
Kosho (Chandivali)
US Pizza (Mulund)
China Valley (Powai)
Kareem's (Powai)

Coming up: A shopping marathon in the month of May. Log on to www.mumbaicommunitycard.org to apply for a card.