1

IMPORTANCE OF SETTING UP HAPPY FRIDGE IN

RESIDENTIAL AREA IN THANE

CAPSTONE PROJECT REPORT

Master of Management Studies

Marketing Madhura Mukte

2018-2020 Roll No. 52

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 SIES COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
NERUL, NAVI MUMBAI 400706

IMPORTANCE OF SETTING UP HAPPY FRIDGE IN RESIDENTIAL AREA IN

THANE

CAPSTONE PROJECT REPORT

SUBMITTED

AS A PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE CURRICULUM

FOR THE DEGREE

MASTERS OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES (MMS)

SIES COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

NERUL, NAVI MUMBAI

BY

MADHURA MUKTE
ROLL NO. 52
MARKETING
2018-20
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4
 Declaration

I, Ms. Madhura Mukte, studying in the second year of Name of the Master of Management Studies at
SIES College of Management Studies, Nerul, Navi Mumbai, hereby declare that I have completed the
Capstone Project titled “Importance Of Setting Up Happy Fridge In Residential Area In Thane” as a
part of the curriculum requirement for course name.

I also declare that the work undertaken by me is original and has not been copied from any source. I
further declare that the information presented in this project report is true and has not been submitted
to SIESCOMS or any other Institute for any other examination.

Date:
Madhura Mukte

Roll No.: 52

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 Certificate by Faculty Guide

This is to certify that Ms. Madhura Mukte, studying in the second year of Master of
Management Studies program at SIES College of Management Studies, Nerul, Navi Mumbai,
has completed the Capstone Project titled “Importance Of Setting Up Happy Fridge In
Residential Area In Thane” as a part of the curriculum requirement for Master of Management
Studies.

Dr. Seema Laddha

Date:

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 Acknowledgements

This project has been a wonderful learning experience; I wish to thank the faculty members at
SIESCOMS, especially the Director,Dr.Bigyan Verma for his valuable support to all the student’s
endeavors, the Chairperson of the MMS program Prof.Vatsala Bose for her wise counsel and
Dr.Seema Laddha, my faculty guide for her constant encouragement and assistance.

Madhura Mukte

Date:

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 Executive Summary

This project “Importance Of Setting Up Happy Fridge In Residential Area In Thane ”was
conducted with the primary objective of understanding the importance of setting up a
Community fridge system in residential areas to solve 2 problems which are of hunger and
food wastage while also establishing the long term societal goodwill and upliftment of the
community at large.

The scope of this research was limited to one of the residential areas in Thane with a small
however, targeted sample composed of decision makers, joint decision makers and people
who may have an influence in the decision making process.
The data collection instrument was a semi structured questionnaire which was quantitatively
assessed to come to conclusions.

The concept of community fridges needs more awareness at an overall level only then can we
even consider acceptance or willingness for set-up. The people are largely willing to set up
community fridges however, they have certain hesitations about it with regards to safety and
security concerns and who would take the responsibility of the fridge and everything.

The community needs to be prepared for this responsibility the hesitation is more a
psychological concern for wellbeing and less of a logistic or financial concern. Given that the
respondents are all accepting the benefits of setting up a Community fridge and clearly listing
the benefits such as Preventing unnecessary wastage of food, Taking care of the Hunger and
Malnourishment issues.

This project is significant in terms that it can be replicated in other segments or can serve as a
model case study for the Feeding India organization to make certain policy changes to
effectively improve their performance as they start expanding their initiative across India.

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 Table of contents

Sr.No. Particulars/Title Page no

1 Introduction 10-12

1.1 What is the Happy Fridge Project 10

1.2 Background of the project 11

1.3 Research Objectives 11

1.4 Scope of the Project 12

1.5 Significance and Limitations 12

2 Review Of Literature 13-14

3 Research Methodology 15-16

3.1 Research Design 15

3.2 Quantitative research design 15

3.3 Primary research design 15

3.4 Sources of data collection 15

3.5 Sample Plan 16

4 Data Analysis 17-22

5 Conclusion 23

6 Suggestions and Recommendations 24

7 References 25

8 Appendix I- Questionnaire Specimen 26

9 Appendix II - List of tables and figures 27-28

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 1.Introduction

1.1 What is the Happy Fridge Project

Happy Fridge is a project initiative by the Zomato Feeding India a Not for Profit
Organization that works with the concept of fridges sponsored by ElanPro to re-
distribute excess nutritious food to the needy by setting up refrigerators in residential
complexes. People living near-by can drop their extra food in the fridge for the needy
people to eat whenever they need.
Feeding India is a not-for-profit organization and it is a part of Zomato’s CSR
foundation. Fridges have been installed in residential complexes, markets and Resident
Welfare Associations, across 19 cities including New Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata,
Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Ghaziabad, Nagpur, Jaipur, Ranchi, Kanpur and
Patna among others. Each of these fridges can serve 1500 - 2000 meals a month.
According to the 2011 Census there are 139 million internal migrants in India. Most of
these migrants work as blue collar workers, and domestic help within large
communities in the cities. As a solution to providing them access to food, without
hurting their dignity - the team at Feeding India came up with the concept of the ‘Happy
Fridge’. This smart solution ensures that those who are in desperate need of food have
immediate anonymous access via community participation.
Of every hungry child the 3rd lives in India and with a shocking 103rd rank in the
Global Hunger Index and a food wastage estimate of around Rs 58,000 crore – India
was in much need of such an initiative.

Figure 1.1 1st Happy Fridge installed Figure 1.2 The official logo & slogan

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1.2 Background of the project

This would prove to be a very innovative and good solution to address hunger on a
daily basis at a grassroot level. This is also a very low cost initiative as the privileged
people provide for the unprivileged people without having to specifically spend for the
welfare of the poor. I want to measure the kind of support that this initiative would
receive in the residential area that I live in at present. I wish to understand people’s
concerns and views about setting up such a happy fridge in the areas that I live in. I
want to analyze the consumer perception about the Happy Fridge initiative and help the
find barriers preventing people from setting up such initiatives or what motivates people
to assist in setting up such initiatives.

Figure 1.3 Happy fridge installed in a residential area

1.3 Research Objectives

The research objectives for this project are as follows:
• Measure the awareness about the concept of community fridges
• Understand the willingness of the people to set up a Happy Fridge near their
area of residence
• Analyze the perceived barriers related to the set-up of Happy Fridges
• Evaluate the perceived benefits related to the set-up of Happy Fridges

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 1.4 Scope of the Project
The research scope for this project will be limited to the residential areas that I live in
because the primary objective is to try to set up a Happy Fridge in and around the area
that I live in. The respondents were people living in the Everest World Society in
Kolshet area in Thane. The sample size is a small number because it includes the active
members of the society who can be influential in taking this decision or take this
decision.

1.5 Significance and Limitations

The significance of this project is mainly in the terms that it can serve as a model or a
case study to expand the initiative across the country and the company can get a better
way to better position and target their Organization and initiative to gain larger
awareness and acceptance basis the insights from this project.

The limitations of this project are as follows:

The sample size is small and limited to a particular area, it could have been
comparatively larger and cover data from various sections of the social and
geographical groups to give a more realistic view.

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 2.Review Of Literature

• Tyagaraj Sharma (2018,August 4)When communities feed their needy

Retrieved from https://www.thestatesman.com/india/communities-feed-needy-
1502669441.html

This article demonstrates the usefulness of the community fridge a novel solution
of tackling food wastage and hunger in Bengaluru. The founder of this set-up in
Bengaluru was inspired by similar actions of Dr. Issa in Chennai who had set up a
‘Public Foundation’ which has community fridges and people sharing their surplus
food with the needy. She realized that sharing food meant that there had to be a lot
of conditions with regards to maintaining the hygiene for food being shared. An 80
page rules and conditions guidelines was shared for the people sharing the food.
Conditions such as mentioning cooking date and expiry date on the food, no stale
or rotten food to be stored. Many restaurants are also a part of these efforts in
Chennai who have made specifically packed meals for the community fridge with
water bottles, The security guard hands out the food to the people wanting it as per
their expiry date emphasizing the need for clear monitoring of the community
fridges.

• Shannon Larson (2019,March 11) 'Community' refrigerators aim to freeze out food
waste
Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/03/community-
refrigerators-aim-to-freeze-out-food-waste

This article highlights how food wastage is a major concern in UK and how a
Community Fridge Network initiative launched in 2017 intends to solve the
problem by 2020. The other aim of this initiative is to inculcate healthy eating habits
in the people. It’s not just about getting a free meal this article highlights how people
use the community fridges as a way to connect with the society, discuss recipes,
This article highlights how there are other NGOs tackling dry food redistribution
however, very little is done with regards to the perishable food and the Community

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 Fridge Network is a good solution for vegetables, fruits, dairy products, etc.

• Prachi Raichura, (2016,June 6) “Community Refrigerator” Project – Business,

Government and Society”
Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/29964988/Community_fridge.docx

This is a research paper that very clearly elucidates the pertinence of setting up a
community fridge as an effective way to tackle the issue of food wastage at a level
where the consumers are directly involved and are primary or secondary
stakeholders such as restaurants or households or institutions that do catering. This
aims at finding a solution for hunger at the place where it occurs and also explains
how the local body efforts can be more helpful in tackling the problem of
malnourishment and hunger rather than nation wide schemes which have very low
penetration and success ratios. This research clearly identifies all the touchpoints in
the American context and suggests a Community fridge as a solution to the problem
of food wastage and Hunger designed along with support from the local governing
bodies and corporate stakeholders.

• Sylvester Tamang,(2019,November 8)“Homeless & Needy Can Get Free Food At

This Community Fridge In Andheri. All Thanks To These Mumbai Residents”
Retrieved from https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/andheri-community-
fridge-installed-to-check-food-wastage-feed-needy-379522.html

This is an article of a Mumbai based resident initiative which illustrates how a

Resident Welfare Association provides food to the helpless and the needy. They
have an official caretaker who distributes the food to the people. They have also
cited an example of a community fridge in Bhubaneswar where there have been
wide appeals to the people to contribute food for one person from each household.
This research paper also tells us that volunteers have to be assigned for such an initiative
to run successfully as it is the volunteers who are responsible for the upkeep, maintenance
of the fridge and to make sure that the fridge is stocked with fresh food and the food which
expires in the fridge is disposed with proper care with no person consuming food that is
unfit for consumption

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 3. Research Methodology

3.1 Research Design

The research objectives for this project are as follows:

• Measure the awareness about the concept of community fridges
• Understand the willingness of the people to set up a Happy Fridge near their
area of residence
• Analyze the perceived barriers related to the set-up of Happy Fridges
• Evaluate the perceived benefits related to the set-up of Happy Fridges

3.2 Quantitative Research Design

The research design for this study was a quantitative research. I had designed a semi
structured questionnaire for the purpose of conducting these interviews with the
respondents.
The interviews have been conducted with the help of a web link of the
questionnaire(google form).

3.3 Primary Research Design

The research design for this study was primary research with data being collected
specifically for this study using the questionnaire created for the intended sample of
the study.

3.4 Sources of Data collection

The primary data was collected from the residents who agreed to answer the survey
living in Thane in the society in Kolshet area. The sample plan has been shared in the
following section.

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3.5 Sample Plan

The sampling methodology used for this study was ‘Convenience Sampling’.
The Sample size was 40 responses. The survey was administered through a web link
(google forms).

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 4. Data Analysis

The data collected for this research from the respondents through the web link was
analyzed to give insights. Given the semi structure nature of the Questionnaire a post-
coding was done for the open ended questions so that a quantitative approach could
be applied there as well.
The frequency tables were prepared for the purpose of this research and the following
analysis was arrived at:

Q1. Awareness about the concept of community fridges

Figure 4.1 Awareness about the concept of community fridges

Are you aware about the

Age Range Age Range Age Range Age Range
concept of community All level
16-25 26-35 36-55 Above 55
fridges ?
Base(All respondents) 10 6 16 8 40
Maybe 10 17 6 0 8
No 40 33 44 38 40
Yes 50 50 50 63 53
Grand Total 100 100 100 100 100
Table 4.1 Awareness about community fridges with respect to age

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Are you aware about the
concept of community Grand
fridges ? Female Male Total
Base(All respondents) 21 19 40
Maybe 5 11 8
No 48 32 40
Yes 48 58 53
Grand Total 100 100 100
Table4. 1 Awareness about community fridges with respect to gender

The overall awareness of the concept of community fridges is rather low, with only
50% of the people being aware about the concept. The first step for the organization
should be to have a solid marketing campaign to actually increase the awareness for
the Happy Fridge Project first before they start initiating people into the project.
Males are more likely to be aware about the concept whereas the age group of above
55 is more likely to be aware of such social organizations and /or projects.

Q2. Willingness to set up a Happy Fridge

Figure 4.2 Willingness to set-up community fridges

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Would you be willing to permit
the set-up of a Happy fridge Age Age
Age Range Age Range
outside your society gate or in Range Range 26- All level
36-55 Above 55
your society premises or very 16-25 35
close to your place of residence ?
Base(All respondents) 10 6 16 8 40
Maybe 20 33 25 13 23
No 10 0 0 13 5
Yes 70 67 75 75 73
Grand Total 100 100 100 100 100
Table4. 2 Willingness to set up a Happy Fridge with respect to age

Would you be willing to permit the set-

up of a Happy fridge outside your
Female Male Grand Total
society gate or in your society premises
or very close to your place of residence ?
Base(All respondents) 21 19 40
Maybe 19 26 23
No 5 5 5
Yes 76 68 73
Grand Total 100 100 100
Table4. 3 Willingness to set up a Happy Fridge with respect to gender

The willingness to set up a Happy Fridge is pretty high at almost 73% given that the
awareness is low at almost 50% . The willingness for setting up a Happy Fridge is
higher for Females as compared to Males. The willingness for people in the age range
of above 36 is higher than the people younger than that. This can be because younger
people tend to be more aspirational towards their own goals whereas the tendency to
give back to the society increases as one’s personals goals are met.

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Q3. Perceived benefits of setting up a Happy Fridge

Figure 4.3 Perceived Benefits of setting up a Happy Fridge

The reason mentioned for the highest number of times was that it addresses the hunger
issues at a grass root level(90%) , given that India is a country where one in every 3
hungry people live. The second most mentioned reason is that it prevents unnecessary
wastage of food(85%) followed by It helps in community building (55%) and that it
creates a good perception in the minds of others regarding the person and the society at
large (35%). There is nobody who thinks that there are no benefits of this concept.

It is a good result that people have a largely correct understanding of the concept.
However not everybody has the right understanding. The positioning for the concept
can be better looked at and strategized by Feeding India.

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Q3. Perceived drawbacks of setting up a Happy Fridge

Figure 4.4 Perceived Drawbacks of setting up a Happy Fridge

The most often mentioned drawback of Happy Fridge is that it can be a possible
concern of safety of the residents living in the society as strangers now have access to
the society, which is a fairly natural concern for any body to raise at 85% of the people
have this worry. The concern most called out after this is that people may create a
nuisance in the area by loitering around unnecessarily or create a ruckus by gathering
in large numbers in order to obtain free food. Almost half of the people think that it will
be an add on responsibility for the residents of the society to maintain the fridge and
provide for its cleanliness and up-keep. There are very few people who are concerned
with the financial burden however miniscule of setting up this project which is a good
sign.

This means that if a steady set of rules and regulation framework is brought in place
people are highly likely to feel more secure about the entire project.

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Q4. Suggestions for the Happy Fridge Project

The suggestions that have come forward for this project are various with a few people
straight away saying that a refrigerator is not going to solve much problems, a few
people saying that this is a good initiative and should be undertaken however a team of
people should be responsible for the fridge and the hygiene of the food kept in the fridge
instead of people just dropping by food as and when they feel like.

Another suggestion that came forward was to let people know only to keep good quality
food and monitor the refrigerator because even when the food is refrigerated it does get
spoilt at some point of time.

A suggestion was also to bring in external moderation such as someone from the NGO
is responsible for monitoring the project with an unbiased view and keeping a track of
the quality of food kept in the Happy Fridge.

A respondent also suggested to not have a Happy Fridge but to have a pick up system
where a pick up van would collect food from localities willing to contribute food and
give the collected food to the homeless or the needy people instead of giving the people
access to the societies at the risk of residents safety and security.

The quantity of the food being shared by an individual should also be portioned
properly otherwise it will create a nuisance.

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 5.Conclusion

The conclusion for this research study can be summed up in the following pointers:

• The awareness of the project is rather low at 50%

• The willingness to set-up a Happy Fridge is reasonably high given that the
awareness is low at almost 75% of the respondents would support such an
initiative

• The respondents strongly agree that a Happy Fridge is a good solution to tackle
the Hunger problems in the country(90%) and the problem of rampant food
wastage (85%).

• The respondents even those who are willing to set-up a Happy Fridge think that
the safety of the residents in the society would be compromised if such a set-up
is located in the premises (85%)

• A high proportion of the residents also think that this would be a nuisance to the
residents with unnecessary strangers loitering in the area (75%)

• The suggestions largely revolve around the safety and security concerns on
ways to have a more robust guidelines in place before such a set-up is initiated.

This means that the Feeding India organization needs to develop its standard
operating procedures so as to better cater to the homeless without indirectly risking
the safety of the people contributing to this cause. The following section details the
recommendations that feeding Indian can use to further improve their business
model.

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 6. Suggestions and Recommendations

The recommendation for the organization basis the research study conducted are as
follows:

• Clearly define a set of guidelines with respect to the responsibilities of

maintenance and upkeep i.e. prior identification of a person either from the
organization or from the residential society to have a single POC for any queries
and or concerns.

• Set a system where a log book is used to maintain a record of time when the
food was shared in the refrigerator and when it is expected to expire so that if
the food remains unconsumed it is disposed of properly

• There should also be a strict system where the food shared should be in eco-
friendly paper packaging only for consumption by 1 person so that there is no
wastage and there is enough to feed large number of people and also is
convenient to be distributed.

• There should be a security guard or an attendant who mans the fridge at all times
so that there is no misuse of the fridge in any way such as people hoarding food
from the fridge and asking for money for the food taken from the fridge.

• A sticker system can also be followed where every food packet is labelled for
its date and time of preparation and expected date and time of expiry to ensure
that nobody eats food not fit for consumption.

• Feeding India can also try to involve the local restaurants and eateries to share
their food to increase the food available for consumption and prevent wastage
in the commercial cooking places as well.

To sum it up the process should be dignified and defined and not just be treated as a
charity.

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 7. References

• Tyagaraj Sharma (2018,August 4)When communities feed their needy

Retrieved from https://www.thestatesman.com/india/communities-feed-needy-
1502669441.html

• Shannon Larson (2019,March 11) 'Community' refrigerators aim to freeze out food
waste
Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/03/community-
refrigerators-aim-to-freeze-out-food-waste

• Prachi Raichura, (2016,June 6) “Community Refrigerator” Project – Business,

Government and Society”
Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/29964988/Community_fridge.docx

• Sylvester Tamang,(2019,November 8)“Homeless & Needy Can Get Free Food At

This Community Fridge In Andheri. All Thanks To These Mumbai Residents”
Retrieved from https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/andheri-community-
fridge-installed-to-check-food-wastage-feed-needy-379522.html

• Author Unknown (2019,August 20) This Delhi based NGO aims to end hunger,
food wastage with free community refrigerators
Retrieved from https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/delhi/2019/aug/20/this-
delhi-based-ngo-aims-to-end-hunger-food-wastage-with-free-community-
refrigerators-2021518.html

• Vidyottama Sharma (2019,October 16) Community Fridges: Eliminating hunger

with dignity

Retrieved from https://www.freepressjournal.in/food/community-fridges-

eliminating-hunger-with-dignity

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 8. Appendix

Specimen Questionnaire: Feasibility of setting up Happy Fridge in residential areas

in Kolshet, Thane

Q1.Are you aware about the concept of community fridges ?

Yes
No
May be

Introduction about the concept of Happy fridge: Happy Fridge is a concept where the
society provides for the electricity and the cleanliness of the fridge whereas the Feeding
India NGO bears the cost of the fridge and it's maintenance. The people who live near-
by are supposed to share extra food instead of throwing it away and the people who
need food can come to the fridge and take it.

Q2. Would you be willing to permit the set-up of a Happy fridge outside your society
gate or in your society premises or very close to your place of residence ?
Yes
No
May be

Q3. What according to you are the benefits of setting up a happy fridge ? (Open Ended
Question)

Q4. What according to you are the drawbacks of setting up a happy fridge ? (Open
Ended Question)

Q5.Is there any other opinion that you wish to share about this idea ? (Open Ended
Question)

Q6.Please mention your age.

Q7,Please mention your gender.

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List of figures

Sr.No. Particulars/Title Page no

1 Figure 1.1 1st Happy Fridge installed 10

2 Figure 1.2 The official logo & slogan 10

3 Figure 1.3 Happy fridge installed in a residential area 11

4 Figure 4.1 Awareness about the concept of community fridges 17

5 Figure 4.2 Willingness to set-up community fridges 18

6 Figure 4.3 Perceived Benefits of setting up a Happy Fridge 20

7 Figure 4.4 Perceived Drawbacks of setting up a Happy Fridge 21

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List of tables

Sr.No. Particulars/Title Page no

1 Table 4.1 Awareness about community fridges with respect to age 17

2 Table4. 4 Awareness about community fridges with respect to gender 18

3 Table4. 5 Willingness to set up a Happy Fridge with respect to age 19

4 Table4. 6 Willingness to set up a Happy Fridge with respect to gender 19

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