Feed the Hungry Today, for a Better Tomorrow

Hunger in India is severe. According to Global Hunger Index 2016 report, 39% of India’s children are stunted. What is stunted growth? It refers to reduced growth and development of a child due to (but not limited to) poor nutrition and unhygienic practices. And to add to this, children who are stunted are also believed to experience health issues as they grow.

Today, as we read about it and make ourselves aware of the situation, we all have an opportunity to feed the hungry children – an opportunity to feed children today, for a better tomorrow. At Akshaya Patra, we are striving to achieve two UN Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger and Quality Education. As mentioned in the first paragraph, the organisation is working towards eliminating classroom hunger through Mid-Day Meal Programme (in partnership with Government of India) – an initiative aimed at improving ‘poor nutrition’ levels among school children.

Most of our beneficiaries are dependent on just one square meal served by Akshaya Patra – the meals are freshly cooked in our centralised and decentralised kitchens. As much as mid-day meal acts as an incentive, it is also important for Akshaya Patra that children attend school, learn and become independent in the future. Mid-Day Meal paints an optimistic approach for many families to send their children to school whereas for Akshaya Patra, hygiene and quality are of utmost priority that are not compromised with during preparation of mid-day meals. How does Akshaya Patra manage serving millions of meals on a daily basis? It is due to the support from government, donors and corporates decision to sponsor children that the organisation has been able to effectively operate the Mid-Day Meal Programme across the length and breadth of India.

To maintain effective delivery of mid-day meals, the Foundation uses GPS enabled customised vehicles that can support food temperature. With a growing network of delivery vans and distribution staff, the organisation has been able to deliver meals to over 1.6 million school children across 11 states in India.

The fight to hunger needs to be carried out with a concrete plan. You can play your part by supporting Akshaya Patra from wherever you are. The Food for Education mission aims at realising that both food and education cannot be pursued separately. They need to be seen and sought together. If you think you can be part of a noble cause such as this, you may engage in charity fundraising and donate to charity and win income tax exemption.