Curry Without Worry was founded in December of 2006, as a 501c3 with the soul purpose of serving soul pleasing food to the hungry people of San Francisco in need of a freshly cooked hot meal. While we desire to feed those people most in need of a meal, it is also our philosophy that hunger is not defined by an empty stomach. For this reason, Curry Without Worry is open to whomever hungers to join us. The mix of those who accept a meal brings a sense of equality, and peace to the experience, and allows those who truly are having a hard time in life to realize that there are people who care about bringing all people together.
Namaste, originally from Sanskrit, loosely means to pay homage to the inner light in all living things. This represents the purpose of Curry Without Worry: feeding hungry people; doing so in a dignified manner; and encouraging peaceful coexistence.
We serve a weekly meal in downtown San Francisco, and Khatmandu, Nepal.
Short Profile of programs and accomplishments :
- We have served a free nutritious meal to around 300,000 people in need since 2006, every Tueday evening, rain, shine, or sleet.
- Over 7000 Volunteers have helped to create meals and serve them
- We have served nutritious meal every Tuesday since 2006, rain or shine.
- We offer educational opportunities for High School and College students to earn humanities credits for their volunteer hours while serving a semester with our non-profit.
- An independent chapter also is serving weekly in Kathmandu, Nepal*.
- Our Farmers Market presence in Noe valley continues to thrive and remain self sustainable.
Our Board of Directors :
Shrawan Nepali, Founder
Shrawan grew up at Paropakar Orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal from age 8 till 16 after losing his grandma, YogaMaya Shrestha. After finishing high school, he worked as a supervisor to take care of 50-boys orphanage, while attending part-time college at Public Youth College, Kathmandu. He also worked at the International Buddhist Library in Swayembhunath. And then in 1985 he got an opportunity to pursue his higher education in the United States when his long time Peace Corp Volunteer brother John Paul sponsored his education at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina. After getting his BA in Business Administration 1989, he moved to be closer to his another long time Peace Corp Volunteer brother Dave Fulton from San Francisco, CA who served in his village in Pyuthan, in Western Nepal during the late 1960s.
While working part-time at Tri-Valley Growers Corporation in San Francisco, CA as an accountant he ended up getting his MBA in International Business from Lincoln University in 1993. After his degree he kept on serving corporate America for 8 years. At Selective Media, San Francisco, CA, he worked as a controller from 1995- 1999., At Alternative Telecom, Berkeley, CA he worked as a controller from 1999-2001!
To give back to his native country Nepal, he left corporate world in 2001 to start a home to provide lasting home and education for some of the most underprivileged children of Nepal, thus he founded Ama Foundation. (www.ama-foundation.org)
With his love of cooking and bring friends together, as he calls if "human fire place" from the East and the West, with the help of friends from both parts of the World, he ended up founding Curry Without Worry™ in 2006.
He travels around the world to promote these two organizations and also leads his friends from the West to the spiritual and adventure journey of Nepal twice a year.
Jesse Seaver - President
Jesse grew up in Massachusetts, and now lives in the San Francisco bay area. Jesse met and formed a partnership with Shrawan at the founding of Curry Without Worry. He offers his entrepreneurial, management, organizational, technical, and marketing skills to the organization.
He is a regular blogger for The Huffington Post, and National Geographic. He works in the tech sector and is often available to meet and speak about Curry Without Worry in the Bay Area, Boston, London, and Vienna regions.
Visit his website : jesseseaver.com
Fiona Ma, C.P.A. - Treasurer
Fiona Ma was first elected to represent the people of California’s 12th Assembly District from November 2006 to November 2012 (after serving the maximum of three terms.) She was the 112th woman to ever be elected to the California Legislature and the first Asian women to ever serve as Speaker pro Tempore since 1850.
Visit her website : www.fionama.com
Charlotte Ruffner - Secretary
Charlotte was born and raised in Southern California and received my Bachelor's degree from UCLA and a law degree from UC Hastings in San Francisco. After law school, she returned to LA to practice as a civil litigator in a large law firm. She moved to the SF Bay Area in 1992 and practiced law for the next 15 years.
She has two daughters, Roxanne, 22, and Celeste, 20. She speaks a little Japanese and a little French and travels to Japan and France frequently. In the 80's, she spent three and half months traveling around India and Nepal.
In addition to volunteering and serving on the Board of Curry Without Worry, she has been on four Habitat For Humanity Global Village builds: building affordable and sustainable housing in Ethiopia, India, Zambia and Kenya.
Lhakpa Sherpa - Founding Board Member
Bio Coming Soon.
Our Code of Ethics
All those who participate in Curry Without Worry must do so voluntarily, and sign a waiver stating that they have done so .
As meals are prepared, all volunteers will promise to handle the food with respect and to take great care in ensuring meals are prepared and served in a sanitary fashion. This includes preparation in a commercial kitchen, and volunteer awareness and sanitary glove serving procedures.
No financial gains acquired by Curry Without Worry may be used without the consent of the board of directors. No loans may be taken in the name of Curry Without Worry without the consent of the board of directors.
All those published as representatives of Curry Without Worry, in print or photograph, will sign a waiver giving consent to such publication.
All information at official Curry Without Worry meetings is considered confidential and can not be shared without the consent of the board of directors.
Curry Without Worry shall not be responsible to assist any board member with a outside financial or personal obligations.
For more information : Please download and review our board manual.