Mumbai, 26thMay 2021: With the country grappling with the second wave of the pandemic, the Akshaya Patra Foundation decided to scale up its feeding efforts in the Maharashtra region with the support of the Government to help the vulnerable populations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Akshaya Patra has served over 47 Lakh meals across Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Nasik, and Aurangabad. The foundation is serving cooked meals, food relief kits with essential groceries, Happiness Kits, Rail Yatri Food Kits.
In Maharashtra, this initiative is being undertaken through the Foundation’s kitchens in Thane, Pune, and Nagpur. As a need-based solution, either freshly cooked meals or food relief kits with essential groceries are being provided to vulnerable populations. Each food relief kit has groceries sufficient for 42 meals, with contents in accordance to the local palate. The organisation is also providing Happiness Kits to Mid-Day Meal beneficiaries, with each kit containing a dry ration for 20 meals, educational supplies, and hygiene products. With school closures keeping children away from the classroom and mid-day meals, this is an attempt to take nutrition and education to their doorstep.
Akshaya Patra has also distributed more than 50,000 Yatri Seva Kits to migrants at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai. These kits contain a water bottle, chikki, namkeen, juice, buttermilk, biscuits, and a mask.With this initiative, the foundation reached out to 1,25,000 yatris in transit.
In Pune, Akshaya Patra is also feeding COVID-19 patients and the staff at the Khadki Cantonment Board Hospital. Its four-item menu in Puneincludes chapati, plain rice, subji, and daal, while the single-item menu is khichdi or a rice preparation. In Nagpur, cooked meals are being served to patients and staff at the Government Medical College – Nagpur, Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital.
Since March 2020, Akshaya Patra has cumulatively served over 12.5 crore meals (as of 15th May 2021) to vulnerable populations across 19 states and one UT. These include 6.15 crore cooked meals, 10.28 lakh essential grocery kits (over 4 crore meal servings) and 10.69 lakh Happiness Kits with dry ration (over 2 crore meal servings), hygiene products and educational supplies.
The Foundation is grateful for the support extending by the State Government, Local Authorities, Corporate donors, and volunteers.