“Annam para Brahma swarupam” (Food is the essence of life/ the Lord of Creation.)
-The Upanishads
This well-known Upanishad aphorism has a profound meaning. Food sustains life. As you read this, thousands of people are starving and subsisting on leftovers. They do not know when the time will come when they will no longer be able to locate the scraps on which they depend and which, for them, mean the difference between life and death. They want for the healthy nourishment we take for granted.
Annapoorneshwari Mandiram refers to the practice of donating food to those in need. As mentioned previously, food gives life. So annakshetra is also considered pranadhanam (donation of life), thus it is known to be divine. Donors of annakshetra are said to directly attain salvation.