Himalaya Wellness Company reiterates its commitment to feed government school children through Akshaya Patra Foundation
New Delhi: As part of its continued commitment to spread Wellness in every Home and Happiness in every Heart, Himalaya Wellness Company has strengthened its ongoing partnership with the Akshaya Patra Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, which strives to address issues like hunger and malnutrition in India. Through this initiative, Himalaya is supporting over 13,000 children studying in government schools across the city, with the mid-day meal scheme. Himalaya has also extended CAPEX support to refurbish the existing kitchen with a heavy-duty mixer, roaster machine, and bench drilling machine at the Bengaluru facility.
School-going children, especially in the age group of 6-12 years, are prone to nutritional deficiencies suffering from malnutrition. The mid-day meal scheme, which provides children with timely, healthy, and nutritious food, aims at addressing the issue of malnutrition. It further plays a contributory role in reducing the dropout rate and increasing attendance in government schools.
“Undernutrition, hidden hunger, and obesity are deemed to be key factors that threaten the survival, growth, and development of children and young adults. It is vital to provide essential nutrition to children during their early years to ensure their healthy future. Himalaya has always been a strong believer in empowering and enabling communities to lead healthier and happier lives. Our endeavor is to create a positive and long-term impact through health, education, and hygiene interventions. This is the very spirit of our association with Akshaya Patra that we have strengthened since 2016. We will continue to provide the required support to bring joy among children, by providing them with a strong and healthy foundation through good nutrition and nourishment,” said Jayashree Ullal, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer.
Expressing his gratitude, Mr. Sundeep Talwar, CMO of The Akshaya Patra Foundation said, “We are immensely grateful to Himalaya for becoming our valued partner over the years in our journey of providing health and nutrition to millions of children. We are thankful to Himalaya for their continued support of the noble cause of delivering healthy mid-day meals. This collaboration has taken us closer to our aim of providing nutritious meals to underprivileged children across India.”
The Akshaya Patra Foundation provides nutritious meals to children studying in government schools and government-aided schools. As its corporate partner since 2016, Himalaya, so far, has supported more than 50,000 children in government schools, and around 5 million meals have been served to needy schoolchildren, along with sponsoring 7,146 ”Happiness Kits” or dry ration kits during the lockdown.