Program eBook www.FoodForEducation.org Welcome
Dear Friends,
Welcome to our Families for Change online gala hosted by our dear Chapters in Tampa and Miami, South Florida.
Hard to believe this is our 5th online gala of 2020. I am thrilled with the success we have had at our Boston gala, followed by Recipe for Change, Technology for Change, and Philanthropy for Change online galas. Plus, thankful for our amazing speakers Sudha and Narayana Murthy, Shankar Mahadevan, Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Vinita Bali, Boman Irani, and Paresh Rawal. Catch up on these delightful conversations on the Akshaya Patra USA YouTube channel!
Thanks to our enterprising and enthusiastic Chapter teams, we have surpassed what we raised throughout all of 2019. We are so proud of everyone coming together to ensure we continue to support our India team in providing aid and relief to families during these challenging times.
The concept of family is built on the foundation of Seva—unconditional, selfless acts of service. This defines what Akshaya Patra is about; our combined efforts as individuals and as an organization grant us the opportunity to provide unlimited food for our children.
This afternoon, I look forward to seeing your pledges, hearing your comments, answering your questions, and fulfilling our children’s wishes. Let us come together and pledge to ensure that no children in India are deprived of education due to hunger.
Thank you,
Yours in service, Vandana
www.FoodForEducation.org Event Timeline
11:30 AM EDT PROGRAM BEGINS
11:40 AM EDT WELCOME REMARKS: VANDANA TILAK, CEO, TAPF USA
11:44 AM EDT HOST CHAPTERS VIDEO
11:49 AM EDT AKSHAYA PATRA VIDEO
12:04 PM EDT FAMILIES FOR CHANGE WITH JAMSHYDJI GODREJ, SUMANT SINHA & SRIVATSAN RAJAN
12:39 PM EDT YOUTH AMBASSADORS’ PRESENTATION
12:43PM EDT RAVEENA TANDON WITH VANDANA TILAK
1:11 PM EDT SHANKAR’S STORY
1:13 PM EDT MUSICAL PERFORMANCE BY SAMIR DATE & DIPALEE SOMAIYA
www.FoodForEducation.org Speakers
JAMSHYD GODREJ Jamshyd N. Godrej is the Chairman of the Board of Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Company Limited. He graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology, USA. Godrej is the former Chairman of Ananta Aspen Centre (previously known as Aspen Institute India). He is the President of World Wide Fund for Nature – India, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, India Resources Trust and Council on Energy, Environment and Water. He is a Director of World Resources Institute, USA and also a Trustee of the Asia Society, USA. He is the past President of Confederation of Indian Industry and the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association. Mr. Godrej is an ardent yachting enthusiast and has done extensive cruising along the west coast of India, Baltic & North Sea, Atlantic Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea. The President of India conferred on Mr. Godrej the “Padma Bhushan” on 3rd April 2003.
RAVEENA TANDON Raveena Tandon is a multitalented and multifaceted individual who lives every moment with full zest. She is actively involved with UNICEF for the girl child and DAIRRC, an anti-drug organization with Dr. Yusuf Merchant. She serves as the Brand Ambassador for PETA, IDA, The Spina Bifida Association, White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood and the Smile Foundation. Along with receiving many accolades for her philanthropic work, Tandon truly embodies social good. She has housed 31 girls in her own bungalow for one year when a landlord evicted the caretaker and the girls from the property and then single-handedly built an orphanage in Vasai for them. Apart from her humanitarian efforts, Tandon is a Bollywood icon and talented actress with multiple awards under her name. She has won the Filmfare Lux New Face of the Year Award for Patthar Ke Phool, a Filmfare for Aks, and National Award for Daman which was based on women empowerment. She has also grabbed the Best Actress award at the Indian Film Festival of Houston and Chicago for the movie Shobhna’s Seven Nights. In 2016, she received the prestigious Dasaheb Phalke Award for completing 25 years in the industry.
www.FoodForEducation.org Speakers
SUMANT SINHA A leading first generation entrepreneur, Sumant Sinha is the Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of ReNew Power – India’s leading clean energy company. He started his career as an investment banker in the US and UK, working with leading global banks. Subsequently he returned to India to work in senior leadership positions in the Aditya Birla Group and Suzlon. Sumant founded ReNew Power in January 2011, with a vision to transform the way energy is produced and consumed in India. Since then, under his leadership, ReNew Power has grown exponentially to emerge as one of India’s leading renewable power producers. Sumant is a passionate advocate for solutions related to climate change. He is a member of the Stewardship Board on Shaping the Future of Energy at the World Economic Forum, serves as the Chair of The Climate Group’s India Advisory Board and is a member of the Board of Directors of the US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF). For his achievements in the area of entrepreneurship and clean energy, Sumant has won several awards including the coveted “Economic Times Entrepreneur of the Year Award, 2018”, “EY Entrepreneur of the Year, 2017” and the “Outstanding Start-up of the Year” – Forbes India 2017.
SRIVATSAN RAJAN
Srivatsan (Sri) Rajan is a Partner in the Bain & Company’s San Francisco India office. Prior to this, he was the Chairman of Bain’s India offices and has also served as the Managing Director there. He has over 20 years of management consulting experience in India and the United States. He has supported the creation and execution of turnaround strategies for multiple diversified firms and has significant experience working with private equity firms in pre-deal diligence and post-deal strategy, as well as in operational engagements across sectors. Sri serves on the board of Delhivery, a logistics startup in India and is an investor in and advisor to many other startups and funds. He is also on the Advisory Board of Bridgespan India, Central Square Foundation, Fireside Ventures and is also the Chair of the Consultative Council of Akshaya Patra in India. Sri serves as the Vice Chairman of the Akshaya Patra Foundation USA.
SAMIR DATE & DIPALEE SOMAIYA Samir & Dipalee are a dynamic singer couple from Bollywood in Mumbai. This duo is often referred to as “India’s favorite singer couple” and have a huge fan base all over the world. They have over 300 international shows to their credit in the past 4 years in over 10 countries including USA, Canada, UK, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, Jamaica, Israel, Netherlands, Kuwait & many more. Hailing from a long line of esteemed musical talent, Samir is a versatile singer who has won a number of awards including the honorable Pillar of Indian Society. Dipalee is a well known playback singer & Saregama TV star since 1994. She has sung in over 200 Hindi & Gujarati films and has been awarded the “Best Playback Singer” award by the Gujarat Govt. four times in a row and twice by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This duo performs new Bollywood songs, Sufi concerts, Ghazals, at private mehfils & Bhajan Sandhyas.
www.FoodForEducation.org Host Chapters
Families for Change would not have been possible without the dedication and support of our Chapter Chairs and Teams. Our Florida Chapters and supporters have gone above and beyond their commitment and are the epitome of what enthusiasm and hard work can accomplish, even in these challenging times. Thank you immensely to our Chapters in the South Florida and Tampa.
SOUTH FLORIDA Dr. Kavitha Kanuri Meena Rajgopal Raj Rajgopal Venkat Maddineni
TAMPA Dr. Sheila Sagar
Youth Ambassadors
Our Youth Ambassadors from the South Florida are the shining stars of our awareness and fundraising efforts! They understand the importance of giving back to help those in need and embody the fact that giving is ageless and limitless. Thank you Youth Ambassadors!
Anjali Balla Sahana Venkat Anjali Vadlamudi Sanjay Jillellamudi Arjun Vadlamudi Sathvik Maddineni Chetan Pulukuri Siddharth Rama Ishanvi Sabniveesu Vedith Malneedi Kaavya Polavarapu Vernica Pulukuri Karthik Maddineni
www.FoodForEducation.org Sponsors
GOLD COPPER South Florida South Florida Dr. Rajendra Bansal Rajiv Jain Rekha & Sunil Kumar Tampa Tampa Dr. Ashok Modh Dr. Dipti & Dilip Mehta Gargi & Sharad Patel Neha & Paresh Patel Hemant Shah Hitesh Adhia Jawahar Taunk SILVER Kirti & Malti Pandya Nic Santana South Florida Sarojben Patel Haritha & Venkat Maddineni Meena & Raj Rajgopal Rohit Dandiya BRONZE Saxena Family Foundation South Florida Shekhar & Amar Reddy Deepthi & Naren Jillellamudi Virtusa Corporation Holly & Bipin Patel Raghu Kolluru Tampa Ramesh Motwane Dr. Rakesh Shah Dr Raji & Ashok Sonni Tampa Drs. Vidya & Sheila Sagar Ananth Iyer Florida Association of Physicians of Anita Rao Indian Origin by Dr. Rakesh Sharma Daksha Shah Dr. Muralidhar Acharya Deven Dave Rupesh Shah Dr. Malery & Mallika Shashidar Shakuntala Shah Dr. Nandkishor Shah Ila Mody
www.FoodForEducation.org Sponsors
BRONZE STEEL Tampa Tampa Kishor Muniyappa A+ Accounting & Tax Nisha & Raj Mandani Anilkumar Patel Pallavi & Bipin Shah Bhagirathi Agrawal Paru & Rishi Modh Chirag Shah Rajendra Baliga Devyani & Nainan Desai Raju Rao Devyani & Rajesh Patel Ramesh Pinnamaneni Dinesh & Vijay Gandhi Ravi Atluri Dr. Deepak Das Santhosh Chandran Drs. Madhavi & Kotha Sekharam TekEinstein Drs. Rao & Vedavathi Movva Vimesh Mithani Ganesh Kumar Haravu Lokesh STEEL Jatin Sheth Kartik Goyani South Florida Kunal Jain Balachandra Kuchinad Mallikarjuna Nandyala Dr Vinod Patel Manoranjan Das Eric Silverman Dr. Meenakshi Jain Lakshmi Balusu Mehul & Devangi Shah Narsinga Rao Miriyala Mr & Mrs Patwari Pooja Shah Narendra Shah Rajesh Nettem Naresh & Dr. Bina Jain Rama Vaitla Nita & Sudhir Shah Ravindra Gurram P.K. Singh Rovy Pollock Prasad Yalamanchili Shay Avitan Purna Bikkassani Govindraj Rangaswamy & Padmaja Govindraj Rajasri & Bhanuprakash Dhulipalla
www.FoodForEducation.org Sponsors
STEEL SUPPORTERS Tampa South Florida Ram Kubal Raj Shah Saurin Shah Subbarao Nalajala SIT Sushila & Satya Prakash Tirumala Rao Bandarupalli
SUPPORTERS Tampa South Florida Dr. Dayakar & Sunanda Reddy Drs. Setty G. & Prabha Viralam Keshav Pulijala Drs. Tarlika & Vinodh Thakkar Krishna Rao & Jaganmohan Rao Garu Reena & Sunil Patel Krishnarao Korapati Narsi Pulukuri
A warm THANK YOU to our anonymous donors and sponsors.
www.FoodForEducation.org Sponsors
A sincere thank you to our sponsors! Your support is truly valuable and we appreciate your interest and contributions to The Akshaya Patra Foundation.
CORPORATE SPONSORS
MEDIA SPONSORS
TM
diyatvusa.com
www.FoodForEducation.org Thank you to our Miami/South Florida friends for making the Florida Gala a success!
A big thank you to Mr. Raj Shah of Desh-Videsh for his constant support and guidance! Meena and Raj Rajgopal : Co-chairs Miami/South Florida Chapter
Thank you Kirti & Malti Pandya
Best Compliments Anita & Raju Rao TypTap Chairman & CEO Paresh Patel visiting Akshaya Patra
The Patel family and TypTap Insurance are proud Akshaya Patra to be supporting Akshaya Patra and their mission which serves 1.8 million children every day.
We want to recognize and reward service in all of its Thank you! forms so thank you for the wonderful work you do!
Paresh & Neha Patel www.typtap.com Virtusa and our employees are delighted to be part of such a great cause. Knowing that our contribution is working every day to feed hungry kids at school is very uplifting.
Ranjan Kalia CFO, Virtusa Corporation About Akshaya Patra
Akshaya Patra means the unlimited bowl of abundance and sustenance. Beginning in 2000 serving 1,500 meals to a small group of local schools, with frugal innovation and a focus on efficiency and scalability, the organization has built world-class, highly efficient kitchens that can cook anywhere between 10,000 to 250,000 meals within 6 hours.
Over 20 years, Akshaya Patra has scaled to currently serving 1.8 million meals in over 19,000 government schools in 14 States in India daily. We source local produce, operate 55 centralized kitchens and transport hot, nutritious meals in custom-designed vans up to a distance of 40 kms. Often being the only meal in the day for the child, it serves as a critical intervention addressing both, hunger and education. $20.00 feeds a child for an entire school year.
Due to the challenges set forth by COVID-19, schools in India are closed. In an effort to make sure our students are getting the nutrition they need, Akshaya Patra has started the distribution of the “Happiness Kits” to provide 30 days worth of food and essentials for the children we normally serve through our mid-day meal program.
82 Million* meals served and counting
Total Meal Count Akshaya Patra 64,704,996
Associate Foundations 18,061,239
Grand Total 82,766,235
*As on September 14, 2020
www.FoodForEducation.org Happiness Kits
Happiness Kits are essential to keep our children nourished despite the current crisis. The kit contains food, hygiene kit, and educational supplies for the mid-day meal beneficiaries. We are providing these kits in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Daman & Diu, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.
Though various Public Distribution System (PDS) and ration distribution through Pradhan Mantri Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), beneficiaries and their family members get 5 kg of rice/wheat and 1 kg of Dal each. The grains, although essential, do not provide all the necessary nutrients a child needs, hence increasing vitamin and iron deficiency. During the current pandemic, the child must have a strong immune system. Therefore, the Happiness Kit supplements the child’s meals at home with additional nutrition and immunity-based food content with protein, glucose, iron, iodine & other supplements. These nutritious components match with our mid-day meal program.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation conducted a study in Karnataka to understand the impact of COVID-19 on our beneficiaries. During the study, we observed that due to a lack of steady income and savings, families could not afford hygiene items. Hence, we’ve included sanitary pads, soap, and dental hygiene kits in the Happiness Kit.
In order to bridge the learning gap, we have introduced activity-based workbooks to educate children on subjects such as mathematics, English, and a local language (Hindi, Kannada, Telugu). Students have to complete these workbooks and submit them when their parents come to collect the next ‘Happiness Kit’.
The Kit has ingredients that can suffice for 30 days for a child. The parents are instructed to open the kit after 24 hours to avoid any contamination and ensure the child completes the activity workbook for submission to school for issuance of next month’s Happiness Kit. The cost of providing one Happiness Kit for a child for a month is $8.50. The per meal cost is 18¢ as there is no subsidy provided by the government.
www.FoodForEducation.org Advisory Board
Dr. Deepak Chopra Sumir Chadha Sanjeev Kapoor
Founder, Chopra Co-founder & Managing Celebrity Chef Foundation Director, WestBridge Capital Partners
Ramamurthy Narayana Murthy Dr. Nitin Nohria Sivakumar (Siva) Founder and Chairman Dean, Harvard Founder, Pragya Emeritus, Infosys Limited Business School Ventures
Vandana Tilak Satya Tiwari Fareed Zakaria
Director, Almex USA, Inc. President, Surya, Inc. Author, Journalist, Host CNN’s “GPS”
www.FoodForEducation.org Board of Directors
Siva Sivaram Srivatsan Rajan Madhu Pandit Dasa
Chairman of the Board, Vice Chairman, TAPF, Chairman, TAPF India TAPF USA, President Partner, Bain & Co. Western Digital Corp
Chanchalapathi Dasa Gururaj “Desh” B.V. Jagadeesh Deshpande Vice Chairman, Managing Partner, TAPF India Chairman Emeritus KAAJ Ventures
Prabhakar “PK” Dr. Rachana Vandana Tilak Kalavacherla Kulkarni, MD Director, Almex USA, Inc. Partner, KPMG USA Cardiologist
www.FoodForEducation.org Our Team
Alexia Burton Proshonjit Das Navneet Kaur Geeta Kulkarni Digital Marketing IT Manager Project Manager Development Director Manager West Coast
Matt Luckey Anshuma Mehta Ankita Narula Shivani Patel
Communications Finance Director Senior Development Creative Director & Marketing Director Director
Chandani Punia Geeta Rai Swati Sharma Vandana Tilak Development Director Development Director Development Director CEO, APUSA East Coast West Coast East Coast
www.FoodForEducation.org UPCOMING AKSHAYA PATRA VIRTUAL EVENTS
THE JOURNEY OF GURU PARAMPARA MUSIC & CONVERSATION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 5:00pm PDT | 7:00pm CDT | 8:00pm EDT | 5:30am IST - 9/27 An exclusive musical event with intimate conversation and Q&A with the artists PADMA BHUSHAN SMT. SUDHA RAGUNATHAN Vocalist, Composer WITH ABBY V Vocalist, Composer
LEADERSHIP FOR CHANGE VIRTUAL GALA SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2020 7:00pm CDT | 8:00pm EDT | 5:00pm PDT | 5:30am IST - 10/12 Host Chapters: Atlanta, Chicago & Springfield, MA
JOHN NIKESH SAKET MODI SIVA ROOPKUMAR REEWA CHAMBERS ARORA Co-founder & SIVARAM & SUNALI Guest Artist Founder, JC2 Chairman CEO, CEO, Lucideus President, RATHOD Ventures, former Palo Alto Networks Western Digital Playback Singers Executive Chairman & CEO, Cisco Systems
GRATITUDE GALA TRI-STATE REGION SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2020 3:45pm PST | 5:45pm CST | 6:45pm EST | 5:15am IST 11/22 Host Chapters: New York, New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut
A MUSICAL EVENING WITH SHANKAR MAHADEVAN Music Director & Performer
www.FoodForEducation.org Ways You Can Help By taking action, you enable us to successfully provide hungry children across the country access to quality nutrition and education. You give them a chance for a brighter future. From spreading awareness in your town to donating your time or money, there are many ways to take action.
CONTRIBUTE and SPONSOR upcoming sponsor meals for kitchens and kitchen or children. 1 2 delivery equipment. VISIT a kitchen and school (when they reopen for visitors). AMAZON SMILE 3 Add Akshaya Patra as your preferred 4 charity. VOLUNTEER in the US for event planning, marketing and 5 sales expertise, speaker engagement, etc.
SOCIAL MEDIA Like our social media EMPLOYEE MATCHING pages and share updates and newsletters. Include Akshaya Patra in your company’s employee matching program. 7
6 YOUTH AMBASSADOR Invite your children to join the Youth Ambassador program and 8 encourage them to give back. ONLINE CAMPAIGNS REFER US to Start a targeted your friends, campaign and the family and money you raise will community help support Akshaya 10 networks. 9Patra. Ways to Give
1. Send a check: Check donations should be made payable and mailed to: Akshaya Patra USA 6800 Owensmouth Avenue, Suite 230 Canoga Park, CA 91303
2. Pay online www.FoodForEducation.org/donate/
3. Sponsor an event
4. Wire funds
5. Donate equity or shares
6. Automobile donations
Thank You. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT OUR NEXT EVENT!
www.FoodForEducation.org Akshaya Patra Family Our Beneficiaries
KRISH - AHMEDABAD
A Class 8 student, Krish is passionate about science. He recently excelled at a science fair, where his team presented usable natural compost. Krish is the son of a daily wage laborer and a domestic worker. Krish says that at home their financial situation is in constant turmoil. In fact, that’s one of the reasons his parents enrolled him in a school that serves mid-day meals so he gets at least one nutritious meal for the day. With lunch often being his only fulfilling meal of the day, Krish enjoys all the dishes served, but he enjoys the jeera pulav and dhokali the most.
TEJAS - SARAKKI
Though only in Class 9, Tejas has made a mature decision to help with his family’s finances. His father works as a watchman and his mother is a domestic helper and it ‘is difficult to run the family’. This prompted him to shoulder responsibility and help his older brother sell vegetables at the market. For the two years now, Tejas is off to the market at 3:30 every morning unloading, sorting and selling vegetables. He finishes at the market at 7:30 am, and then it’s time for school. Tejas’ ambition is to become a police officer and maintain civic order. He adds that the Mid-Day meal at school also eases the financial burden on his parents and he gets a healthy lunch every day. His favorite dish is bisi bele bath.
BHOOMI - THANE
Bhoomi, 12, is a new addition to an Akshaya Patra school in Thane. About a year ago, Bhoomi’s father lost his job and Bhoomi had to start living with relatives. Though she misses having her parents around, Bhoomi says she finds solace in going to school and being surrounded by friends. What she misses most about her parents’ absence is her mother’s cooking. But she adds, “The lunch we get in school is very similar to what my mum prepares. I love having it. And being with my friends makes me even happier.” Her favourites on Akshaya Patra’s menu are rice and chole masala.
www.FoodForEducation.org Akshaya Patra Family Our Caretakers & Staff
KAMALA AUNTY - CARETAKER
‘Kamala Aunty’, as she is fondly known by the students of Government Primary School, Gubbalala, has been a caretaker for four years. She has created a routine that has organized the serving of the Mid-Day Meal at the school, making for an efficient process every day. Every one of the 195 children served, follow a set routine: 1. Take charge of their plate 2. Ensure zero wastage of food 3. Wash their plate after eating Her dedication gives us a glimpse into the importance of every contribution that goes into the smooth running of the program.
LALITA DEVI - KITCHEN STAFF
A widow for the past five years, Lalita Devi is the only breadwinner at home. She has been a part of the Akshaya Patra family for nine years, and works out of the Akshaya Patra kitchen in Jaipur. She says, “If it wasn’t for my work in the Akshaya Patra kitchen it would be difficult for me to survive. Now I am financially independent and satisfied that I am contributing to the happiness of one lakh students.” Lalita is dedicated to her work and believes that the nutrition of the meals cooked depends on good hygiene during food prep. She makes it her everyday pledge to help support children with healthy and nutritious food.
LOKESH - KITCHEN STAFF
Lokesh, 29, has been working in Akshaya Patra’s Hubballi kitchen for the past decade. When in Class 11, financial difficulties forced him to drop out of school, and he still regrets having not completed his education. Lokesh says he’s come a long way since he started working at the kitchen. From a cook 10 years ago, he now supervises the entire cooking process. He says, “Since joining Akshaya Patra, I have helped my brother finish his ITI studies, I have helped my other brother set up his business and helped my dad in agriculture. I never thought I would get such a job that would transform my life like this.”
www.FoodForEducation.org Akshaya Patra Family Our Volunteers
KANURI FAMILY
Since we have been involved in the organization, the spark in the kids’ eyes and the smile on their faces which is priceless has brought tremendous peace and happiness in our lives. I am sure seeing that the kids are fed and educated will bring the same feeling to the parents of the beneficiaries too.
The name of the organization “Akshaya Patra” , their aim, vision and the scale with which they operate depicts the spirit of the team’s passion to the cause. We are blessed to be a part of the Akshaya Patra team to help fight hunger and bring quality education to the kids and bring a change in our and their lives too.
MADDINENI FAMILY
Venkat Maddineni has been a resident of South Florida since 1997 and currently lives with his wife Haritha and his two sons Karthik and Sathvik. Haritha is a Software Engineer by profession. Karthik and Sathvik are in grades 6 and 7 respectively and they both are Youth Ambassadors of Akshaya Patra.
RAJGOPAL FAMILY
Both Raj and I are co-chairs of our recently launched Miami/South Florida chapter and as such are discussing and strategizing ways to grow our chapter and spread the word all the time. Our daughters are getting more involved watching our commitment and have started spreading the word amongst their friends and contributing to this great cause - “Mom, we had the opportunities and they didn’t”
www.FoodForEducation.org