If you feel that you have not been able to do your best generous donation all this month, you still have an extra day to show how much you care for creating a better future. Donate to Akshaya Patra, it feeds 1.8 million children every single day across 51 locations in India. Take this leap to donate towards their future on this extra day! Happy LEAP YEAR indeed!

The word EXTRA stirs a unique sense of relief in all of us. Be it an extra holiday, an extra discount tagged along a product or an extra day of Sale in stores and supermarkets. And adding on to the list of EXTRAS, there is uniqueness to this, it’s a LEAP year 2020. Meaning, an extra day to do all the things that you wished you should have done during the other days of the month. Guess what? It is never too late since you have an extra day – so go wash your car, spend time with your family, go out on a date with your parents, give a bonus amount to your domestic help or donate towards an NGO in India that you had once thought of, not long ago.

You really have an extra day this year. Why not utilize it for making a great impact on children? The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a non-profit organization that implements the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in India. With the help of people who donate online, today, it feeds 1.8 million children studying in 16,856 Government and Government-aided schools. It serves healthy and nutritious mid-day meals from 51 centralised and de-centralised kitchens located in 12 States and 2 Union Territories of India, namely – Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Odisha, Karnataka, Gujarat, Delhi, Daman & DNH, Chhattisgarh, Assam and Andhra Pradesh.

The state-of-the-art kitchens serve meals that are locally palatable by the school children. The ingredients picked for the menu help children to stay full for a longer time so that they can concentrate and focus better during their school hours. Some children hail from challenging backgrounds which is why mid-day meals prove to be a boon for them.

How is Akshaya Patra’s meals beneficial?

Many parents send their children to school with the assurance that they will get the right amount of nutrition in their school along with gaining education. Since affording single square meal is a challenging task, they rely on school meals to ensure their children’s nutritional requirements. Mid-day meals are planned and prepared keeping in mind the dietary requirements of developing children.

Quality and hygiene are a priority and are followed strictly right from purchasing raw materials till the delivery of meals. Raw materials are stored in designated store rooms and FIFO and FEFO methods are employed, all cutting and cooking equipment along with vessels are sterilized before and after use, and the employees in the kitchen wear protective gears at all times. The Mid-Day Meal Programme has been a success to increase retention rates in various schools. Make this year’s extra day fruitful. Donate school meals and get income tax exemption with every donation under section 80G of the Indian Income Tax Act.

Your LEAP of kindness = YEAR full of wholesome meals for children.

Each year, 14th November is celebrated as Children’s Day in India as a tribute to Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister. He who was very fond of children and advocated for their education and development. Several organisations and educational institutes conduct awareness campaigns and programmes on health, rights and education of children. This Children’s Day, celebrate with Akshaya Patra.

Let’s rewind few years and reach those days when we attended the school assembly to celebrate Children’s Day. Inspiring speeches by principals and teachers with the emphasis that childhood is the best phase of life… motivating plays and activities stirring our confidence ‘I will work hard and do everything to reach my goal’ and evoking the desire ‘I want an amazing future’… Now, fast forward the years to reach the present when you are reading this blog. Take a moment to ask a simple question to yourself, ‘Have I achieved what I aspired for as a child?’

There are so many of us who wanted to do something totally different from what we are actually doing today. It’s not our failure; rather as they ‘life happens’ and we put aside our dreams to address something that was the need of the hour. But, deep within the desire remains! Well, here is an opportunity to fulfil your dream!

So many dreams and more… do you identify with any of them either completely or may be slightly? Well, these are also the dreams of 18,02,517 children who are the beneficiaries of The Akshaya Patra Foundation. And, you never know, some of them could be from your own neighbourhood too! The fact is, the progress towards these dreams is possible only when children get a chance to attend school!

School meal is a significant intervention in supporting education of children belonging to challenging socio-economic backgrounds. It is the provision of this meal that opens up the gates of school for millions of children. Akshaya Patra has been relentlessly striving for the past 19 years to provide this much-needed school meals to children. Presently, the Foundation serves freshly cooked, nutritious school meals daily to 18,02,517 children studying in 16,856 Government schools and Government-aided schools across 51 locations of 12 States and 2 Union Territories. Your support for food for education on Children’s Day will ensure that millions of children eat healthy, study well, and step closer to their ambitions.

This Children’s Day, stretch your arms to reach a child who has the determination and willpower to fight all odds to reach school and progress towards their ambitions; all they need is a little support for their school meals. Your choice to donate for children will ensure they receive their daily share of nutritious meals, regular schooling, and also make them a part of Akshaya Patra’s child-centric initiatives such as scholarship programmes, talent development programme, and school and student transformation programme.

This Children’s Day, live your dream by empowering children to reach their dreams. Support food for education.