Akshaya Patra – From THEN to NOW!

Imagine a scene where a group of children are fighting over scraps of food with a stray dog. It is very disturbing, isn’t it? This is a real story that took place in Kolkata where His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was moved by this incident in Mayapur. After this event, he was determined to make sure that no child within a radius of 10 miles from the centre goes hungry.

 

His determination sowed the seeds of The Akshaya Patra Foundation. It began feeding 1,500 children in five Government schools in Bengaluru in the year 2000. After the mandate from The Supreme Court of India in 2001, the NGO started implementing the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Programme. With these efforts, the Foundation aims at countering two problems – hunger and illiteracy. In 19 years of its service, it has fed 1.8 million children on a daily basis. Present in 52 locations spread across 12 states and 2 union territories of India, it carries out its cooking process from centralised and decentralised kitchens. Irrespective of the kitchen type, hygiene and safety is a top priority for Akshaya Patra.

 

The meals served as a part of the MDM Scheme adhere to the nutritional guidelines provided by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). To ensure that children gain the maximum benefit of these wholesome meals, locally palatable meals are served cyclically. The excitement of children during the lunch hour to see what is on the menu is heart-warming.

Here is what some children have to say about Akshaya Patra’s meals:

 

“I love Akshaya Patra’s meals. It fills my stomach and keeps me full throughout the day. Otherwise I would have been eating rice and pickles every day.”

-          Vanaja, 7^th Standard

 

“If it was not for the free meals, I would not have been studying today. I look forward to my meals eagerly every day.”

-          Munna, 8^th Standard

“I prefer my school meals. They taste better than the home-cooked food.”

-          Kapil, 4^th Standard

“I enjoy my school meals. My favourite food items are vegetable biryani, sweets and snacks.”

-          Shravani, 9^th Standard

“I did not know that I will get snacks and fruits along with the meals. It completes my meals. I can even take away the fruits to eat at a later time.”

-          Mahesh, 7^th Standard

 

Apart from working towards its core cause of feeding school meals to children, Akshaya Patra has always stepped up to help people during times of disasters. Presently, it is serving cooked meals and distributing grocery kits to the needy people in India amid COVID-19 crisis. The Foundation has served a cumulative of 8.2-crore meals to the low-income sections of the society. As on 8 September 2020, Akshaya Patra has served 4,74,30,724 cooked meals and supported 8,03,607 families with essential grocery kits. To continue its service towards mid-day meal beneficiaries, it initiated the Happiness Kits Programme to support nutrition, immunity, hygiene and learning. Akshaya Patra is currently distributing Happiness Kits in Bengaluru, Jigani, Hyderabad, Thane, Silvassa, Jaipur, Vadodara, Lucknow, Vrindavan and Guwahati, with the aim to reach other locations soon in a phase-wise manner.

 

You can be a part of this NGO by supporting its feeding initiatives. You can either donate to charity for its COVID-19 Food Relief Service, Happiness Kits Programme or towards the Mid-Day Meal Programme. Contribute generously because every bit of your contribution matters.

 

Akshaya Patra feeds over 8-crore meals during COVID-19 crisis

Established in 2000, The Akshaya Patra Foundation is one of the pioneer mid-day meal NGOs in India. It provides nutritious mid-day meals to children studying in Government and Government-aided schools. Akshaya Patra is present in 52 locations spread across 12 States and 2 Union Territories. 

Aside from its core cause, Akshaya Patra provides food relief to the needy during crisis situations. In the past, it has supported crisis-hit people during floods, cyclones, and earthquake. Presently, it is providing food relief to the marginalised and low-income sections of the society under its COVID Relief Services. 

Akshaya Patra’s service during COVID-19 crisis 

The Foundation began its COVID-19 Food Relief Service on 25 March 2020. It is reaching out to daily wage workers, migrant labourers, construction site workers, and needy people at old age homes and night shelters. The relief service is operational across 19 states namely Rajasthan, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, Maharashtra, NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tripura, West Bengal, Punjab, Jharkhand, and Himachal Pradesh. 

Working in close coordination with State Governments and District Administrations and with the help of individual donors, corporate partners and volunteers, Akshaya Patra has:

• Served a cumulative of 8-crore meals
• Served 4,74,30,724 freshly cooked meals
• Supported 8,03,607 families with essential grocery kits
• Distributed 9,198 Happiness kits to support mid-day meal beneficiaries
• Fed 1,50,000 Shramik passengers
• Served immunity-rich meals three times a day to COVID-19 patients

Lives of people changed by Akshaya Patra during the pandemic

“I came to Dadra and Nagar Haveli many years ago, but never thought this day will come. I am worried I might not be able to see my parents in Odisha again. As soon as my children saw the blue van, they recognised it to be Akshaya Patra’s vans that served them nourishing mid-day meals in their Government Primary School at Amboli. They were happy and excited to know that the meals in this tough time was coming from the same blue van.” - Chandan Bahera, Silvassa

“I was in the catering business and do not have a job since the lockdown and unable to feed my family of five. My funds were exhausted and I did not have money to pay my rent, so I had to vacate. So, we moved to a shelter home in Ranbasera, Ahmedabad. My decision to move here has not only taken care of our safety, but also of our food. The Akshaya Patra Foundation provides meals twice a day here – afternoon and night. This ensures that we receive healthy nourishing food without having to spend any money.” - Arshad Khan, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

“The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic jeopardised our life much beyond what we could have ever imagined. My husband, a construction site worker lost his job overnight due to the lockdown. It became difficult to find another job and there was no source of income. With no money left, neither could we buy food nor could we feed our daughter. We heard about a food distribution service and rushed to the site. Since then we have been receiving food three times a day: at 8 o’clock, 1 o’clock, and 6.30 p.m. We are grateful to Akshaya Patra; we now have food to eat.” - Nagarathna, Bengaluru, Karnataka.

“I work with the Chennai Corporation and am responsible for cleaning the roads and collecting garbage from nearby areas. So, whether it is a pandemic or not, I have to step out for work every day. But the issue was food. Due to the lockdown, all restaurants and shops remain closed. So, my colleagues and I had to walk 3 kilometres to the Corporation Office Canteen with the hope of getting food. Even if we reached the canteen a few minutes late, all the food would be exhausted and we would end up working the entire day on an empty stomach. My colleagues are I are very grateful to Akshaya Patra for providing us meals, free of cost, in this time of crisis. Now, we get food, every day, guaranteed!” - Sudha K, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

“When the lockdown was announced, I decided to go back home in Ratlam. Since there was no transportation available, I decided to walk the distance of more than 650 kilometeres. With an eight-month old in my womb, the journey was indeed difficult. I reached a shelter home at Maheshwari Seva Sadan in Nathdwara where Akshaya Patra had been serving freshly cooked lunch and dinner. In this chaos, I found a roof, food, and nourishment for my unborn child. The relief was unimaginable.” - Indra, Pokhran, Rajasthan

There are millions of people who are in need of support during the COVID-19 crisis. Donate online to help them survive this pandemic by supporting them with something as basic as food.

Be the ray of hope. Support Akshaya Patra to feed the needy across the nation.

Celebrate International Day of Charity with Akshaya Patra

 

“Not all of us can do great things. But, we can do small things with great love!”

-          Mother Teresa

5^th of September was chosen to commemorate the death anniversary of Mother Teresa. Recognising the role of charities and individuals to alleviate crisis around the world, the United Nations’ General Assembly designated 5^th of September as International Day of Charity.

There are over 3 million charities in India that serve various causes ranging from child health, animal welfare, environment conservation, etc. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a charity in India that works towards the core cause of implementing the Mid-Day Meal Programme. Serving in the hour of extreme crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation began its COVID-19 Food Relief Service on 25th March 2020. The Foundation has served a cumulative of 7.8-Crore meals to the migrants, daily-wage labourers, and needy people at night shelters and old age homes. As a part of its COVID-19 relief service, Akshaya Patra serves cooked meals every day to the needy people and distributes grocery kits to help marginalised families.

 In order to continue supporting food and education of mid-day meal beneficiaries, the NGO initiated the Happiness Bags Programme in which children. Each Happiness box is packed with:

• Nutrient-rich food items such as glucose biscuits, peanuts, double fortified salt, jaggery, and ragi flour.
• Immunity-boosters like turmeric powder and sambar powder.
• Hygiene kit with a toothbrush, toothpaste and soap, and a pack of sanitary napkins for girl beneficiaries.
• Study materials such as an activity book, crayon set or colour pencils, Classmate notebook and pens or pencils.

 

Reasons to donate online to Akshaya Patra on this International Day of Charity

International Day of Charity reminds us that there are millions of people out there who do not have even a single source of wholesome or a complete meal a day.

• Donating towards Akshaya Patra’s COVID-19 Relief Service provides daily meals to the people from marginalised communities. Each grocery kit supports the feeding of a low-income family for 21 days.
• Donating towards Happiness Bags ensures well-being of children. The grocery items in the bag boosts their health and immunity and the study materials support continuity of learning.
• When you donate online towards Akshaya Patra, you become eligible for receiving tax exemption. 

September is also celebrated as Hunger Action Month. Bring out the generosity in you by helping Akshaya Patra to continue its food relief service for the needy. 

This International Day of Charity, take action to make #ZeroHunger possible.