Akshaya Patra: A Leader in Battling Classroom Hunger

Abstract

Akshaya Patra, the world’s largest mid-day meal program run by a not-for-profit organization, was started in 2000 by serving approximately 1500 school going children in Bangalore, India. In 2009, the organization achieved a milestone of serving one million lunches to the school children. By 2021, it had been feeding more than 1.8 million children and aimed at feeding five million children by 2025. Akshaya Patra also offered its services to people affected during natural calamities like floods and earthquakes, and for the homeless living in shelter homes[2]. It was also the first NGO managed food programme in the world to receive the FSMS ISO 22000:2005 certification. The project received an entry in the Limca Book of Records and India Book of Records[3]. The organisation was able to successfully create a partnership model that included governmental funding, contribution from individuals and support from for-profit companies and not-for-profit organisations.