Akshaya Patra and the Government of Karnataka Collaborate to Distribute Food Relief Kits to COVID-19 Relief Workers in Udupi
Bangalore: The Akshaya Patra Foundation, in association with the Government of Karnataka, distributed over 300 food relief kits with essential groceries to hospital staff and civic body employees on COVID-19 relief duty. These kits were provided to employees working on contract basis at the district and taluk hospitals, Group ‘D’ employees of the district hospital, municipalities and nagarsabhe, and Mahila Santwana Kendra employees from Kundapura, Karkala, and Udupi.
The distribution event was held at Pravasi Mandira on the Old DC Office Road in Bannanje, Udupi, in the presence of Shri Harish Shetty, Personal Secretary to Shri Kota Srinivas Poojary, Hon’ble Minister of Muzrai; Smt Rashmi Chittaranjan Bhat, Municipal Council member; Dr. Madhusudhan Nayak, District Surgeon (Udupi) and Shri Vasudev Bhat, Trustee of Dr. Shivaram Karanth Theme Park. The dignitaries present commended Akshaya Patra for its relief feeding efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since March 2020, Akshaya Patra has been aiding the Government’s relief efforts across India by distributing food relief kits and serving freshly cooked food to people from vulnerable communities who have been affected due to COVID-19. The contents of these kits are based on the local palate, with each kit having groceries sufficient for 42 meals. The food relief kits distributed in Udupi contained boiled rice, tur dal, Bengal gram, refined sunflower oil, spices, sambar and rasam powder, pickle, sugar and jaggery.
Shri Kota Srinivas Poojary appreciated the commendable work done by Akshaya Patra. He said, “I have personally witnessed Akshaya Patra serve the needy during difficult times. Be it the MDM Programme or COVID-19 relief feeding, Akshaya Patra goes to great lengths to ensure that people have access to food. Their dedication, efforts and experience are evident from the contents of these assorted food kits, designed keeping the local need in mind.”
Shri Karunya Sagar Dasa, President – Akshaya Patra (Mangaluru), said, “As we have seen over the last few months, COVID-19 frontline workers are tirelessly working to provide relief to people while putting their own health on the line during the pandemic. We must look after them and their families in this situation. With the support of the Government and our donors, we have been reaching out to as many people as possible during this crisis. Today’s distribution of food relief kits was our way of showing gratitude to our frontline relief workers.” He also appreciated the swift and diligent relief efforts of the Government of Karnataka and thanked them for their continued support and encouragement of the Foundation’s endeavours.
Till date, Akshaya Patra has cumulatively served over 9 crore meals in multiple locations across 18 states and two union territories. In Karnataka, the Foundation has distributed over 3.7 lakh food relief kits, amounting to over 1.55 crore meal servings, and 41 lakh cooked meals. Akshaya Patra has also distributed over 65,000 Happiness Boxes to its Mid-Day Meal (MDM) beneficiaries in the state. Each of these boxes contains food supplies as well as hygiene products and stationery to facilitate children’s health and education.
Akshaya Patra has been undertaking relief feeding efforts across the country through its well-established network of kitchens by working closely with the Central Government, State Governments, and local administrations, and with the proactive support of corporate partners and individual donors.
About The Akshaya Patra Foundation
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation which strives to address classroom hunger and malnutrition in India. By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Government and Government-aided schools, Akshaya Patra aims to fight hunger and at the same time, bring children to school.
Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has worked towards reaching out to children with wholesome food on every single school day. The Foundation is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children. Its state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and attract curious visitors from around the world.
In partnership with the Government of India and various State Governments and the inestimable support of many philanthropic donors and well-wishers, Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings of serving just 1,500 school children across five schools to becoming the world’s largest (not-for-profit run) Mid-Day Meal Programme, serving wholesome food to over 1.8 million children from 19,039 schools across 12 States & 2 Union Territories in India.
Akshaya Patra has been implementing the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Programme in Mangaluru since 2004, serving nutritious mid-day meals to children as an incentive to come to school. As of today, the Foundation reaches out to over 12,000 children from 135 schools in the city.
Akshaya Patra has time and again come forward for disaster relief work across the country. Over the years, we have conducted relief feeding in flood-affected parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh as well as drought-affected parts of Karnataka. Our relief feeding efforts transcended borders in the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake in April 2015 when we set up a temporary kitchen to feed the affected population over a period of three months. We will persevere in our endeavour to continue serving people in their time of need throughout this crisis and beyond.