Weddings, birthdays, parties, functions, festivals generate so much of food waste. When people can waste that much food, can’t we save that much to feed people in need?

This Hunger Action Month, let’s take one step closer to making India a hunger-free nation.

According to Global Hunger Index 2021, India’s score of 27.5 is considered to be serious.

The good news is responsible individuals and NGOs are working on making the situation better. They help underprivileged street dwellers, nursing mothers, pregnant women, aged individuals, school-aged children and so on. However, the success of all these activities largely depends on donations from people.

Feed to defeat hunger this Hunger Action Month
Hunger Action Month is a special month to be fully aware of the hunger crisis. People all around the world show their support for the cause of ending hunger. The occasion is observed all over the world, including India.

We, at The Akshaya Patra Foundation—one of the renowned NGOs in India, observe Hunger Action Month every year. We have been feeding hungry people for 21 years with donations from our kind and consistent supporters. Today, we proudly nourish over a million children, disaster victims and many vulnerable mothers every day.

Sinchana S of GMPS Unkal School, Karnataka, is delighted to be able to go to school every day and focus on her studies without being distracted by hunger. She mentions that the meals served by Akshaya Patra are full of nourishing vegetables that she cannot access at home due to unfavourable financial conditions. Therefore, she enjoys these satisfying school meals and loves to have them with her friends. At her school, Akshaya Patra also funds hot milk in the morning which keeps them satisfied until lunch break.

So, take out a few moments from your busy schedules to empower the destitute people in India through your donations. Have a look at the programmes we run at Akshaya Patra and choose how you wish to contribute this month:

PM Poshan Abhiyaan

Through PM POSHAN Abhiyaan (formerly called the Mid-Day Meal Scheme), we serve freshly-cooked meals in Government and Government-aided schools across 65 locations in 14 states and 2 union territories.

Currently, we nourish 1.8 million underprivileged children daily which allows them to concentrate better, develop strong immunity and grow healthy, physically and mentally. We follow international hygiene standards and nutritional guidelines mandated by the Supreme Court of India and the Ministry of Education (formerly known as the Ministry of Human Resource Department) while preparing and distributing the school meals. We have also won several accolades for financial transparency, relief feeding and serving society in multiple ways.

You can donate to feed a child with our flagship programme supporting the Indian Government’s PM Poshan Abhiyaan or for any of our other programmes detailed below.

Anganwadi Feeding Programme

Ideally, children must receive nourishment from their foundational years that start in their mother’s womb. Hence, nursing and would-be mothers must receive balanced nutrition to build strength during and after childbirth. It helps in the development of vital organs and immunity of the newborns during crucial years of their growth.

When you contribute to the Anganwadi Feeding initiative, you not only donate to feed a child but also strengthen the health and chances of survival of the mother as well.

Feed the Homeless Mothers Programme

A woman needs 1,800-2,200 calories a day to carry out simple tasks. However, 40 million women in India who are left alone without husbands and families struggle to make ends meet. They are deprived of the basic nutrition needed for survival.

With Feed the Homeless Mothers initiative, we serve freshly cooked meals to nourish them. These meals save them from diseases and help them restart their lives with new hopes. Feed to defeat hunger in homeless widowed mothers.

Night Shelter Feeding Programme

Lakhs of people in India live on the streets or inside kaccha houses (jhopris) without basic amenities. They often depend on leftover food and the little money they have. They are also the most affected during disasters such as the pandemic, heavy rainfalls or heatwaves.

We feed them three cooked meals every day in Rain Baseras (Night Shelters)—the only hope of survival for them. Support Akshaya Patra to help street dwellers rise towards good health and opportunities for better lives.

Bangalore Relief Feeding Programme

Unprecedented rainstorms are flooding the streets and houses of Bangalore. Affected people, including pregnant women and little children, face chaos with their daily necessities and food supplies being washed away by the rainwaters.

We are responding with Relief Feeding Programme for these troubled Bangaloreans. The meals served include tomato rice/jeera rice and dal/dhalcha. Contribute to help them survive the distress.

Final Thoughts
Hunger is at the core of many other ills such as malnutrition, diseases, child labour and illiteracy. Eliminating it alone can improve the lifestyles of billions of people around the world.

Today, options are many for the ones who wish to help. Even the smallest donation from you can feed a disadvantaged child for several months!

So, don’t wait! Support Akshaya Patra and let your kindness win over the evil of hunger.
Donate online this Hunger Action Month to nurture an individual’s health and dreams right from where you are!

It was another big and memorable day for us at Akshaya Patra on 7 July 2022!

We launched our 62nd kitchen in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh which will serve meals to over 1,00,000 children in 282 schools through the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM POSHAN Abhiyaan) [formerly called the Mid-Day Meal Scheme]

Our humble beginnings started by feeding 1,500 children in Government schools of Bengaluru. It started with only a selfless thought and an improvised Akshaya Patra kitchen. What we have become today shows that anything is possible if the intent is noble.

Over the decades, we may have heard discussions only on problems within Indian societies.
But don’t you think discussions can be more fruitful if they are about solutions to the prevailing problems instead?

For instance, we all know that hunger and education have been India’s two most pressing challenges since its independence from colonial rule. However, little was being done about it.

One of the reasons might be that we often tend to leave everything to the government authorities, blaming them if our expectations are not met. However, little do we understand that we, as citizens of India, also bear responsibilities towards our country that provides resources for us to live and grow amidst comfortable surroundings.

Hence, we must also lend a hand in helping our fellow citizens who are lesser privileged than us but deserve an equal share in the nation’s resources.

Role of Akshaya Patra, an NGO in India
Acknowledging the need of the hour, our activities at Akshaya Patra began with a pledge that no child shall be deprived of education because of food. Soon our small NGO in India became a hub for billions of responsible citizens to contribute through online donations towards the mid-day meal programme in Government and Government-aided schools.

Today, we feel proud to mention that the support of our donors has grown to such an extent that our kitchens are being built with great speed all over the country, where each kitchen holds the capacity of feeding lakhs of children in hundreds of schools while maintaining high cooking standards.

Our newly-built 62nd kitchen in Varanasi is one such facility that deploys a roti machine with 40,000 rotis/hr capacity, a rice cauldron with 700-ltr capacity, a dal cauldron with 1,200-ltr capacity and an RO plant for water purification. Moving further towards sustainability, we will also use solar panels to produce electricity and solar water heater to boil water during the cooking process.

The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the Varanasi kitchen in the presence of the Governor, Smt Anandiben Patel, and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath. With its launch, we wrote another chapter of our association with the Uttar Pradesh Government as this is the fifth facility after the centralized kitchens in Lucknow, Vrindavan, Gorakhpur and Mant.

The inauguration event was followed by a tour of the new Akshaya Patra kitchen facility and the dignitaries pledged their support for our endeavours. It clearly demonstrated the Government’s appreciation for the efforts of our Foundation and billions of our kind donors who are ready to give selflessly for the nation.

Tackling two problems with a single initiative
Our ideology at Akshaya Patra is unique in its own way. Through the successful implementation of the Government’s PM POSHAN Abhiyaan, we not only nourish the minds and bodies of underprivileged children but also help them focus on education.

And there is a bonus!
It solves a major concern of parents not sending their children to school. When schools serve meals, it gives the parents from low-income backgrounds an incentive to send their children to school as they would not have to worry about their nutrition. And when it is supplemented with free education, these parents readily agree.

Final Thoughts
When you think long-term, any amount from the pockets of millions of compassionate donors can make a huge difference in how India will look in a decade. Bright minds and healthy bodies will be leading a developed India whose faces will shine and inspire internationally.

Also, when these mid-day meal beneficiaries grow up into successful and brilliant personalities, they will remember the value of selfless contributions made by people and work diligently to return the kindness by impacting the lives of those who lack access to resources.