We have served 2 billion meals. The Akshaya Patra Foundation, an NGO based out of Bengaluru, celebrated the serving of 2 billion mid-day meals, in the presence of Honourable President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee. Having been in the service of children for 16 years now, this NGO for children is here to make a difference in many young lives by crafting a healthy future for them. Thanks to the Government of India for its outpouring support towards Akshaya Patra’s Mid-Day Meal Programme, there has been a steady rise in school attendance as well.
We are only a few days close to observing National Nutrition Week and while we will be discussing what ‘Nutrition’ means to us in our future blogs, let us brief you on how our journey of Mid-Day Meal Programme has panned out in Karnataka.
After Akshaya Patra stepped forward to provide mid-day meals to school children which would later go on to become the world’s largest NGO-run school lunch programme, the Indian government and many donors from across the globe have supported the initiative in many ways possible. Since its inception in 2000, Akshaya Patra has spread its wings across 11 states in the country feeding over 1.6 million children on every school day. This NGO for children believes that every child deserves a fair chance in the field of education and therefore, decided to fight classroom hunger through school lunch programme.
Our Journey of Unlimited Food for Education
• For Akshaya Patra, the journey began in 2000 with a feeding programme for 1,500 school children in Bengaluru
• The following year, the Government made it a right for every child studying in their schools to avail mid-day meals within the school premises
• In 2003, our Foundation became the first to take public-private partnership forward in social sector with the Government of Karnataka signing an MoU for MDM for children
• We went beyond Bengaluru. In 2004, we set up kitchens in Hubballi, Mangaluru and Mysore to feed more children
• In 2007, a second centralised kitchen was set up in Bengaluru in Vasanthpura, which currently feeds 1,01,541 children
• In 2012, Akshaya Patra served the billionth meal, one of the major milestones for this children’s NGO and in 2016, we crossed serving of 2 billion meals
Today, Akshaya Patra serves more than 5 lakh children in Karnataka alone. On this exceptional journey of defeating hunger among children, we urge you to join us and witness a changing society. If today’s children are fed nutritious meals and are ensured quality education, we will be creating a secure future not just for us but also for the next generation to come.
A famous proverb tells us that ‘little by little, little becomes a lot.’ To be able to feed 5 million children by 2020, we will need your help. You can donate an amount of your choice or you can sponsor a child by donating Rs 950. If changing a life makes you a proud citizen, then Akshaya Patra’s cause is for you!
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