2023 at The Akshaya Patra Foundation marked the generosity and commitment of our esteemed donors and well-wishers for a healthier and prosperous future. Our 23-year-old NGO persisted for another year in its relentless efforts towards nourishing vulnerable populations.

Not only did we serve mid-day meals (MDM) to government school children under our core programme for PM POSHAN Abhiyaan, but also substantially supported crisis victims with our relief feeding initiatives.

Last year, due to steadfast collaborations with our donors, well-wishers and governments, we accomplished
• Serving food from new kitchens
• Felicitation students and teachers from our beneficiary schools for their exceptional accomplishments
• ISO certifications for our existing units
• Recognition for the lives we impacted

Here is a rundown of events highlighting our progress in humanitarian service.

New kitchens

3 kitchens were added to our NGO’s network last year. They serve children under PM POSHAN Abhiyaan as well as provide food assistance during emergencies.

Food relief efforts

We helped deliver food relief during
• land subsidence in Joshimath, Uttarakhand in January, and
• floods in Assam in July

Nourish the Change Awards

Nourish the Change Awards is an Akshaya Patra initiative to recognise students and teachers from beneficiary schools for their extraordinary achievements beyond the classroom walls.

• In an interactive session between students and our leaders on 23 August 2023 in Bengaluru, students and teachers from our beneficiary schools were recognised for their admirable commitment and diligence. Indian artist and film director, Mr Prakash Belawadi and His Highness Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar, the 27th Head and Custodian of the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore graced the event with their presence.

• We marked the 11th anniversary of our Surat Kitchen with Nourish the Change Awards. The event took place on 13 October 2023 in the esteemed presence of Meenaben M Gajjar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner – PM POSHAN Yojna, Surat Municipal Corporation, and many corporate visionaries and ardent advocates of our noble cause.

• On 23 November 2023, Nourish the Change Awards – Mumbai honoured partnerships and felicitated teachers and students who achieved extraordinary milestones despite multiple challenges. Kaustubh Dhavse, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and Board Member, Mumbai Film Festival and Krishnakant Upadhyay (IPS), Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mumbai graced the occasion with their presence. Indian Celebrity Chef & Indian Cultural Ambassador, Shipra Khanna and several dignitaries from the film, television and radio fraternity were also present to commemorate the achievers.

• Our Visakhapatnam Kitchen marked its 15th anniversary on 20 December 2023 with the Nourish the Change Awards. 15 years ago, it started by serving MDM to 5,445 children in 7 government schools. To date, it has served more than 31,80,000 mid-day meals and over 25,70,000 meals in Anganwadi centres.

Other highlights

• At the Corporate event of the 12th edition of World CSR Day in February 2023, www.worldcsrday.com presented the Certificate of Merit to Akshaya Patra.

• In March 2023, Akshaya Patra and Share Our Strength, a US-based national NGO facilitating school meals worldwide, jointly organised ‘Feed the Future Now’ at Chitnavis Centre. People of Nagpur came in numbers to the fundraising event to pledge donations to feed children.

• In March 2023, our 44th centralised kitchen in Gambheeram, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, was certified with ISO 22000:2018, testifying the hygienic and high-quality food it has been serving since its inception.

• We launched ‘Clean Slate Carnival’ on 15 May 2023, a drive to welcome children back to school. The pilot was carried out in collaboration with Citibank, Cargill, LSEG and Swiss Re to revamp 18 schools across Bengaluru which included cleaning the school premises and painting blackboards for a cleaner and safer environment.

• In July 2023, we were bestowed with the Silver Award towards the COVID Food Relief Project by the 7th CSR Health Impact Awards 2023. The award was presented by Smt Kiran Bedi, Former Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry.

• Our kitchen in Singupuram, Andhra Pradesh, bagged ISO 22000:2018 certification in July 2023 for maintaining hygiene in the kitchen and serving quality food. We provide mid-day meals in schools under the State Government’s Gorumudda and other programmes.

• Honourable Former Vice-President of India, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, launched mid-day meal distribution in October 2023, supported by Akshaya Patra, for ITI students of Thakkar Bapa Vidyalaya Samithi.

• We were honoured with the Nexus of Good Award 2023 in November in the ‘Initiatives for Quality Education’ category. Mr Prabhat Kumar Singh, Former Cabinet Secretary and Governor, and Mr Anil Swarup, Former Coal Secretary of India, presented this prestigious recognition.

We are grateful for the trust placed in us by the people of India. It has allowed us to serve our society without barriers for over two decades and contribute to bridging the gap between the haves and the have-nots. With nationwide support, we have collectively supported socioeconomically challenged populations with a vital resource for survival – food.

Your donations over ₹500 to Akshaya Patra are eligible for 80G deductions under the Income Tax Act. However, only those who have opted for the old regime can redeem these 80G deductions.

Become a changemaker today! Join us and enable an inclusive future for India with an online donation.

What makes a year truly remarkable? As we approach 2024, let’s reflect on this question.

Each year passes by with a fair share of experiences, which can be seen either as blessings or lessons.

Through all such encounters, what we ultimately seek is to grow as better human beings. However, isn’t all this futile if you are not lending a helping hand to those in need.

Like Akshaya Patra, numerous NGOs in India are working with dedication to bring significant change in society. In order to conduct their programmes effectively, they need support. With a simple online donation, you can help these organisations in their pursuit of a better world for everyone.

Together, Let’s Put Wings on their Dreams

As an NGO for children in India, Akshaya Patra implements the government’s Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Programme (PM POSHAN Abhiyaan) to address the nutritional deficiencies in schoolchildren. This new year, consider supporting Akshaya Patra to nurture dreams of millions of children and make this year a truly remarkable one.

By making an online donation, you can also avail tax exemption.

He loves mid-day meals served in schools; his favourites are dal, rice, kadhi, roti, kheer, fruits, etc. Krishna is also active in extra-curricular activities in the school. He has a passion for dancing and has showcased his talent in a group dance performance during the Independence Day celebrations. His dream is to become an army officer and defend the country.

Apart from her study time, she spends time to help her mother at her shop and her father in their field. She loves the meal served at school. The school provides dal chawal, subzi roti, khichdi kheer of which her favourite is subzi roti. “Our teacher told us that we get these meals from the Akshaya Patra Foundation,” she says with a smile.

“One will be on a hill station, where I will sell Bhutte (corn on the cob) in the rainy season. The second will be functioning in summer and provide ice candies and Baraf Ka Gola (ice sorbet). And the third will be a multi-cuisine restaurant featuring dishes from across the world,” he says.

“I love dancing. When I grow up, I want to become a dancer,” she says. One of her school teachers is aware of her dream and often motivates and helps her practice regularly.

She has two sisters who are studying in class 3 and 5 at the same school. Her uncle is yet another important person in her life who fuels her dream to become an IAS officer. She loves the food supplied by Akshaya Patra at her school. She says, her favourite dish from the daily menu is sheera (an Indian sweet dish made from semolina).

Krishna, Sakshi, Hussain, Tanushree and Shivalila represent 2 million children in Akshaya Patra beneficiary schools across 15 states and 2 union territories. Your support enables the Foundation to serve nutritious mid-day meals to these 2 million children every school day to support their nutrition and education.

Your support puts wings on their dreams!