TORONTO: The Akshaya Patra Foundation runs the largest mid-day meal program in the world feeding over two million kids each day in India.
Its 71 mega kitchens serve children in 22,367 schools across 15 states and two Union Territories in India.
Over 800 custom-built trucks, which keep the food fresh and hot, carry meals to distant schools.
Akshaya Patra employes over 7,300 people to run its operations, with 30 percent of the workforce being women.
Having served over four billion meals served and won the coveted Gandhi Peace Prize for its work, the foundation aims to serve three million children daily by 2025.
Since our operations need huge amounts of money, the foundation – which has over 50 chapters in the US – has come to Canada to raise funds. It only takes $25 Canadian to feed a child for an entire school year, a shocking figure that I think most Canadians would find hard to believe.
How did we begin?
Our Mid-Day Meal Program began in 2000 in Bangalore with 1,500 kids. The results were immediate, as the headmasters of these schools reported an increase in attendance and marked improvements in student health and academic performance. This small but impactful initiative laid the foundation for the Akshaya Patra Foundation.
As the word about the successful Mid-Day Meal Program spread, we quickly realized that our capacity to supply hand-cooked meals to everyone in need was limited.
To address this issue, Madhu Pandit Dasa, an IIT-Bombay Civil Engineering graduate, took on the challenge of making the Mid-Day Meal Program more efficient. He designed the first centralized and fully mechanized kitchen that produced more than 100,000 high-quality meals in five hours without sacrificing the wholesome quality of the food.
Now over the period of 23 years we have built 71 kitchens and are serving more than two million children daily.
When was the Canada branch of the foundation started, and why and by whom. How we raise funds in Canada. Who are our donors in Canada? What are our Canada plans?
Started in 2021 as a charity, the Akshaya Patra Foundation Canada began raising funds to feed the kids in India. After thorough analysis, the Akshaya Patra Foundation India and Akshaya Patra Foundation USA decided to register Akshaya Patra Canada.
We initiated our operations from October 2023. Mr Bipin Poddar is the President of our board, Mr Narayan Ramani and Mr Navin Goel are the other board directors.
How is the response in Canada?
We have around 100,000 Indian diaspora volunteers and donors across the globe. The diaspora from Canada has been very supportive and we are receiving a very positive response as the word about Akshaya Patra spreads.
Who are our donors in Canada? What are our Canada plans?
The Akshaya Patra Foundation Canada plans to raise funds from Individuals, corporates, foundations, and small businesses across Canada.
We are getting a very good response from individual donors from different parts of Canada. Our plan is to continue to spread the word about Akshaya Patra Foundation in our Indian community and seek their support.
We are also planning to start our chapters in three provinces in 2024. The chapters will be run by volunteers and initiate programs for Akshaya Patra Foundation Canada. We plan to feed 50,000 children ($25 cost per child) in India for an entire school year from donations received from Canada.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation Canada has also planned other programs for India’s children.
Through it Beyond Meals Scholarship Program, the Foundation provides scholarship to support students from marginalized communities to pursue higher studies. It helps these students become financially independent in their pursuit of academic aspirations.
Through its Digital Education Program, Akshaya Patra is working towards bridging the digital divide for marginalized students to ensure that they do not miss out on possibilities due to cost or accessibility concerns. Basically, the Digital Education Program facilitates digital inclusion of students studying in government schools.
And our School Rejuvenation Program seeks to provide children a conducive environment at school by ensuring food safety and quality are during the storage and consumption of the meal.
(For donations, the Akshaya Patra Foundation Canada can be cantacted at www.tapfca.org Email: sagar@tapfca.org Phone: 437-829-8787).
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