Billions of people worldwide lack adequate access to food and hunger continues to claim more lives than conflict. Despite our increasing food production, the threat of hunger and malnutrition still exists.

This World Hunger Day, on 28 May, here are a few things you can do to address hunger:

Donate Food: Many organisations dedicated to feeding initiatives welcome donations of food items that are largely non-perishable, such as grains, oil, and specific fruits and vegetables. Then they are given out to those in need. The next time you go for groceries, buy a little extra that can be donated.

Initiate a Conversation: You can talk to people on why an issue as grave as hunger must be addressed and form a group, raise money and then donate it to an NGO that provides food to the hungry.

Volunteer: Every city organises soup kitchens (a soup kitchen is a place where food is offered to the hungry usually for free or sometimes at a below-market price), where mostly one-pot meals are cooked or have organisations like us where meals are prepared throughout the year to serve certain vulnerable sections of society. You can volunteer in the preparation, distribution or other activities connected to the cause.

Monetary Donation: Every penny matters. You can extend financial support to charitable organisations that have made a commitment to address hunger. Every donation you make in support of an organisation like us, is used for serving meals to government school children, pregnant and lactating mothers at anganwadi centres and elderly mothers living in ashrams, to ensure that they have adequate food every day.

How your support to an organisation like Akshaya Patra can change the hunger scenario

Akshaya Patra was founded in 2000 with the straightforward idea to provide food for students in order to increase enrolment and retain them in school through a hot, nourishing meal every day. Currently, 2 million children are served and we aim to feed 3 million children by 2025.

When you support us, you are not only helping us serve meals to children from backgrounds with limited opportunities, but also helping them pursue their education and dreams and break the poverty cycle. This aids us to work towards a sustainable solution to end hunger.

Extend your support to The Akshaya Patra Foundation and help address hunger on this World Hunger Day.

Donate online!

Every year on 7 April, World Health Day (WHD) commemorates the World Health Organization’s (WHO) foundation anniversary and focuses on a different public health issue. In addition to emphasizing the path towards attaining Health For All, this year’s theme, 75 Years of Improving Public Health, will be used to commemorate WHO’s 75th anniversary.

Right to health is a fundamental human right. Everyone must have free access to the medical care they require whenever and wherever they need it. Thirty per cent of the world’s population lacks access to basic healthcare services. Almost two billion individuals experience catastrophic or subsistence-level health costs, with major disparities affecting those living in the most vulnerable circumstances.

The goal of Health For All is to create a society where everyone is in good health and can live happy, productive lives. Many NGOs work to better the lives of people and children who belong to challenging socio-economic backgrounds. The vision of Bengaluru-based NGO Akshaya Patra, which has 22 years of expertise in providing wholesome mid-day meals to government school children nationwide, has been instrumental in enhancing their overall health condition. We serve school lunch under the Government’s PM Poshan Abhiyaan (previously known as the Mid-Day Meal Programme).

How good nutrition boosts overall health

A healthy diet is represented by nutrition-dense food that includes lean proteins, whole grains, healthy fats and colourful fruits and vegetables. The meals that we serve, replace trans fats, added salt and sugar-containing foods with more nutrient-dense alternatives as part of healthy eating practices.

Proper nutrition in early childhood protects the child from various diseases and infections that can prevent age-appropriate growth. A healthy childhood paves the way to a healthy life. And here Akshaya Patra’s role becomes remarkable. Like World Health Day, which aims to provide ‘Health For All’, we aim to give every child a healthy start with healthy and nutritious mid-day meals.

The mid-day meal guidelines also suggest that the food served should contain essential micronutrients such as iron, zinc, folic acid, vitamin A and so on. We, at Akshaya Patra, diligently follow all the instructions while preparing the mid-day meals.

We also serve nutritious food in Anganwadi centres to children aged 3-6, pregnant and lactating mothers, a step towards creating a healthy foundation during critical stages of growth.

By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Programme and the Anganwadi Feeding Programme, we are creating a healthy and strong foundation for growing children, contributing to the theme of World Health Day: ‘Health For All.’

This World Health Day, you can support the nutrition of those in need by supporting our Mid-Day Meal Programme. Your contribution can also qualify for a tax exemption of 50% under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act.