Food insecurity is disproportionately affecting South Asian, Indo-Caribbean, and immigrant seniors in Queens. India Home is seeking investment to launch a tech-enabled Robotic Food Pantry Initiative that will provide autonomous access to fresh, culturally appropriate food and nutrition education, with repayment supported by grant funding.
Unlike investments on our marketplace, Bring Your Own Network (BYON) projects bring supporters who are already familiar with India Home and therefore are not reliant on LENDonate’s complete credit analysis services. LENDonate is available to answer financial and investment questions, future repayment services, and any desire to convert from investment to donations in the future. The term and interest rate are established between the investor and India Home independent of LENDonate.
This loan is being offered under LENDonate’s BYON Private Loan Program. See section under Other Important Information for further explanation.
If you are interested in investing in this loan, please contact LENDonate (operations@lendonate.com) and a representative will share next steps.
If you have questions about the India Home project, please contact India Home directly.
Vasundhara Kalasapudi M.D
516-859-5125
India Home is a non-profit organization dedicated to addressing the needs of and empowering the South Asian and Indo-Caribbean senior immigrant community in New York City through culturally competent services. At India Home’s centers, their seniors find community and resources through a diverse range of programs and activities. Their mission is to improve the quality of life of older adults and help them to age with dignity by providing social, physiological, recreational, and spiritual services in a culturally sensitive manner.
India Home is tackling the growing crisis of food insecurity among South Asian seniors in Queens. Community assessments show that South Asian groups face some of the highest barriers to accessing food.
To meet this urgent need, India Home is introducing AI-powered Robotic Food Pantries that provide a faster, more reliable alternative to the current food pantries, which are often limited to a few hours once a week.
Their pantries will operate 12 hours a day, six days a week, ensuring dignified, consistent, and convenient access to nutritious food for those who need it most.
Designed for inclusivity, this food pantry will be available to everyone in the Queens community who participates in the SNAP program.
This mock-up represents the envisioned design of India Home’s future robotic food pantry. Rendering shown for illustrative purposes only.
The loan proceeds will be used for working capital to start Robotic Food Pantry including equipment purchase.
The loan will be repaid through grants from foundations.
South Asian, Indo-Caribbean, and immigrant seniors face disproportionate rates of diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease—yet often lack access to nutritious, culturally appropriate foods. Traditional food programs can’t fully meet their needs, with limited hours, volunteer-dependent operations, and little integration of technology or health education.
The Robotic Food Pantry Initiative offers a smarter, more equitable solution. By combining autonomous 24/7 access to fresh, locally sourced groceries with a multilingual digital platform for nutrition guidance and culturally relevant recipes, the system removes barriers like stigma, transportation challenges, and limited pantry hours. Supporting this initiative means investing in a proven, tech-enabled model that promotes dignity, health, and food equity for vulnerable seniors.
Food insecurity occurs when individuals or families lack reliable access to affordable, nutritious food.
In Queens, this is a growing concern, with many residents – especially vulnerable communities – struggling to get the healthy meals they need. Here are some key statistics about this issue:
30.9% of Queens adults reported being worried or stressed about having enough money to buy nutritious meals in the past 12 months.
25% of families in Queens lack reliable access to nutritious food, a rate that is double the national average.
14.3% of the population in New York City, including Queens, lived in food insecure households between 2021 and 2023.
310,310 individuals in Queens were living in food insecure households between 2021 and 2023.
“THEY HAVE GIVEN ALL THEIR LIFE TO THEIR CHILDREN AND THE COMMUNITY…IT’S TIME TO GIVE BACK.”
Dr. Vasundhara Kalasapudi, Executive Director
A $99 fee will be deducted from the initial fund transfer and each year thereafter, as long as there is an outstanding loan balance.
At any time during the loan repayment period, an Investor may convert their outstanding loan balance (in any amount) to a donation. LENDonate provides this service free of charge to both Investor and the nonprofit Borrower.
Unlike investments on our marketplace, Bring Your Own Network (BYON) projects bring supporters who are already familiar with India Home and therefore are not reliant on LENDonate’s complete credit analysis services. LENDonate is available to answer financial and investment questions, future repayment services, and any desire to convert from investment to donations in the future. The term and interest rate are established between the investor and India Home independent of LENDonate.
