Thousands of employees are staying at homes and fulfilling their duties as responsible citizens to flatten the curve. While we do so, there are NGOs who have come forward to help fellow citizens who are struggling for something as basic as food – these are the people from the migrant communities.

With the harsh blow struck by the Corona disaster, millions of migrant workers and labourers had to deal with reduced or loss of income, food shortages and job insecurity.

According to World Economic Forum, there are over 139 million migrants in the country.

And to help them, The Akshaya Patra Foundation commenced its COVID Relief Service on 25th March 2020. By adhering to all safety and hygiene measures, it serves meals and distributes grocery kits to low-income and marginalised sections of the society that comprises of daily-wage earners, migrants, labourers, construction-site workers, needy people at old-age homes and night shelters.

Every citizen is coming forward to do their bit to help people in distress due to the COVID disaster. With constant support from various State Governments & District Administrations, donors and volunteers, the Foundation has extended its relief operations to reach a total of 19 States of India.

Because of this generous support, Akshaya Patra has been able to serve a cumulative of 5,61,17,791 meals thus far.

Cooked meals are distributed on a daily basis to ensure that every individual is fed and does not have to stay hungry. Essential grocery kits are distributed every day to help migrants and their families survive during this testing time. Each grocery kit contains rice, pulses, oil, spices and vegetables that can serve 2 people with 42 meals for 21 days.

With the help of these donors and supporters, Akshaya Patra has equipped itself in providing food relief materials to the needy.

The entire Foundation wholeheartedly thanks each and every one who stepped in to support the COVID-19 food relief service. There are million more people who are still in need of food relief amidst the chaos. We can reach out to them only with support from generous people like you.

Click here to play an important role in feeding people from migrant communities.

5th June is celebrated as World Environment Day every year since 1972. With this year’s theme – Time for Nature, you can give back to the environment with your donation towards children’s mid-day meals. How? With every meal preparation, there is some amount of electricity and gas that is saved. Akshaya Patra serves meals to 1.8 million children every day. So, imagine how much you will be able to save with your donation towards Akshaya Patra!

With recent times being difficult for planet Earth, celebrating World Environment Day to raise awareness about how to take care of our surroundings and our fellow Earthlings is very important and urgent. On 5th June every year, World Environment Day is celebrated in many ways which encourages worldwide awareness and action for the protection of the environment. According to United Nations, this year’s theme is, ‘Time for Nature’ with a focus on supporting life on Earth and human development.

Over 100 countries celebrate World Environment Day since 1972 when 5th June was decided as World Environment Day. Though the theme changes every year, from sustainable consumption to the illegal trade in wildlife, millions of people have taken part every year to sow the seeds of change.

In these exceptional times where nature is sending us a message, we must care for nature while we take care for ourselves.

The environment we live in, is a part of our lives; every individual’s actions have significant impact on the environment.

As a part of giving back to the environment, many NGOs in India have come forward to start tree plantation drives, cleaning of surroundings, rescuing and treating injured animals, cleaning up the city’s beaches, curbing environmental pollution, etc.

To do its best in saving the planet and the society, The Akshaya Patra Foundation has adopted eco-friendly methods in its day-to-day operations of serving mid-day meals. The Foundation makes use of the following:

Bio Gas Plants
Nothing really goes for a waste at Akshaya Patra kitchens. The bio gas plants use waste food and vegetable wastes to convert them into gas for fuelling the burners for cooking stoves used in preparing the meals. This process helps in converting enormous amounts of wastes into green fuel.

Akshaya Patra kitchens at Ballari, H.K. Hill, Nathdwara, Lucknow, Vrindavan, Narsingi, Kandi, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Surat, Silvassa, Vadodara and Bhuj, use bio gas plants.

These plants also produce large volumes of enriched organic manure that act as a supplement for chemical fertilizers.

Solar Panels
Solar panels are installed in kitchens to reduce dependency on the consumption of grid electricity. This directly helps in conservation of natural resources used for generating electrical power.

Solar panels are installed in Hubbali, Ballari, Mangalagiri, Jigani, V.K. Hill, Udaipur, Ajmer, Nathdwara, Jaipur, Lucknow, Vrindavan, Narsingi, Kandi, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar, Surat, Silvassa and Vadodara.

Along with the above initiatives, other eco-friendly technologies like ReFlex Reverse Osmosys System, effluent treatment plants, Reed bed plants are also adopted in different Akshaya Patra kitchens.

How can you act on this World Environment Day?
As an individual, you can plant more trees, use re-usable or cloth bags, use renewable energies wherever possible, as an act of giving back to nature. When you donate to NGO’s like Akshaya Patra, you can water two plants with one hose; you are giving back to nature by supporting its eco-friendly initiatives and also giving back to the society by taking care of the next generation.