Akshaya Patra Feeds 1.8 Million+ children Across India, Everyday!

Each school day, 1.8 million+ children studying in 16,856 Government schools in 51 locations of 12 States and 2 Union Territories across India are served with freshly cooked, hot, tasty, and nutritious mid-day meals.

During the wee hours of morning, when most of us are fast asleep, hundreds of people ready themselves to prepare what they call ‘meals of hope’. Factory-sized large kitchen units bustle up with enthusiastic staff who have just one motto - to cook the most nutritious and tasty meals for children. All of them clearly know what their role is, right from cleaning and washing rice, pulses, and vegetables; chopping vegetables, mixing spices, stirring the ingredients, cooking the day’s menu, packing the cooked food to delivering it safely and punctually to children.

And, we are not talking about just one day.

This happens on every single school day… across 51 kitchens… located in 12 States and 2 Union Territories… just so that 1,802,517 children studying in 16,856 Government schools and Government-aided schools receive their much-needed meals without any miss.  

This is The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a charitable trust in India implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme since 2000.

… till we reach the last child

With the vision, ‘No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger’, Akshaya Patra strives each day to provide wholesome midday meals to school children. It is one of the oldest implementing partners of the Government of India with 18+ years of remarkable service to children. A mission that started off with the motto to feed the children, today does much more to ensure holistic development of the beneficiaries with its several child-centric programmes.

Akshaya Patra makes sure that each child is fed well, hence it customises its menu based on the local taste. So, all the kitchens of Akshaya Patra cooks different menu items across the country. Having said that, this charitable trust in India tests all its menus before implementation to ensure the required dietary norms are met while adding the element of taste. For instance, if you visit a kitchen in Gujarat, you might come across a local delicacy like sukhadi; if you visit a kitchen in Odisha, you may find dalma; similarly, if you visit a kitchen in Karnataka, you will be welcomed with the aroma of bisibele baath.

Akshaya Patra believes that feeding 1.8 million children is just the beginning, there is so much more to do until the last child is served with wholesome meals.

… more than meals

Aside from the feedthe children mission, Akshaya Patra also supports holistic development of its beneficiaries:

·        Anganwadi Programme provides nutritious meals to toddlers of 3 to 6 years old in Anganwadi centres.

·        Giving Every Dream a Chance provides mentorship to children on the talent of their choice.

·        Scholarship Programme supports higher education of beneficiaries.

·        School & Student Transformation programme revamps school infrastructure to provide better learning and school experience to children.

·        Kashirampara Project promotes inclusive development by focussing on tribal children of Tripura, to begin with.

A meal is the beginning of hope for a better future. And the above-mentioned programmes prepare the children to surpass their current challenging circumstances and make way for their hopes to become a reality.

…because your support matters!

We all know that a lot can be done and achieved when we unite with each other. The purpose to feed the children is not a mere attempt, it is our responsibility to ensure that each child is nourished and nurtured; after all they are the ones to shoulder the responsibility of the nation in the future.

Your one moment of transacting an online donation will:

·        Nourish children with the goodness of wholesome meals;

·        Empower them with education; and

·        Prepare them to be resourceful individuals in the near future.

You can help this charitable trust in India to reach the last child. You can transform lives of children in the most desirable way. All you have to do is, ACT NOW!