The distinguishing feature of the Annam program is that it brings the community together; it does not merely provide food and support to the hungry. Unlike other programs that address social needs, Srishti Annam has not been conceived as the sole responsibility of the organizer. It depends on and invites the participation of people living around each other.

The vision is to have each community of 10,000 people running its own feeding center for 50 people. With 2000 such centers, we can feed 100,000 people every day, with ease.

While the basic infrastructure will be provided by Srishti, the program will be dependent on the community for its success. For example, in Kakinada, where it was launched, the program witnessed the participation of the local population, already a part of Srishti. Seven thousand families are part of Srishti and receive different services from the organization, which has been serving the community for two years. The Annam program invites different types of participation from the community — volunteers identify the needy, register them, serve food, provide counseling, form rehabilitation groups, participate in skill-building, find jobs and occupations, and so on.

The idea behind local voluntary participation is that there should be no division between the server and the served. In serving its own members, a community serves itself. The program is meant to create a large functional unit to counter the imbalances created by smaller ones. One of its aims is to create more such communities in the country, so that for once a social program will work along social rather than professional lines. What this means for a community is not only fewer hungry people but also greater social cohesion. In seeking to transform the life of its hungry and destitute members, the community has the golden opportunity to transform itself.