Press Release Akshaya Patra Kitchens Work Overtime for Flood Victims Distribute 85,000 food packets in three days among flood hit districts of Karnataka & AP Bangalore, October 07, 2009: The Akshaya Patra Foundation, the world’s largest NGO-run school meal program, supported Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh Governments by supplying food packets in the flood-hit districts of the two states. Akshaya Patra Foundation distributed 85,000 food packets in Bellary, Bagalkot, Bijapur and Dharwad districts of Karnataka and Mantralayam district of Andhra Pradesh from Oct 2 and continue to do so till the situations are under control. The states witnessed heavy downpour since September 29, 2009, which brought normal life to a standstill and rendered thousands of people homeless. At this timely hour, Akshaya Patra’s intelligently engineered and highly efficient kitchens at our two centers in Bellary and Hubli got in to overdrive mode and prepared food and got it distributed in flood-hit areas within 12 hours. Food was sent in Akshaya Patra distribution vehicles and were distributed till 11 pm in the night. The foundation distributed puliogre, lemon rice in the morning and rice, sambar and curd in the evening, where there was good road connectivity. However for areas cut off from the road food packets containing puliogre and biscuit packets were loaded in three Indian Airforce helicopters at the Jindal airport and distributed among the flood victims. Sri. Chanchalpati Dasa, Vice Chairman, Akshay Patra Foundation said, “The Akshaya Patra Foundation stands by the nation and the two state governments in this hour of natural calamity, it is our social responsibility to help our fellow beings in the time of need and distress. We shall try in every possible way to help those who are starving and rendered homeless.” About Akshay Patra Foundation The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a non-profit, secular trust, evolved the school meal program in in the year 2000. It started as a pilot project in five schools in Bangalore, feeding 1,500 children and has now grown into a mammoth endeavor covering over one million children daily in about 5,700 government, government-aided schools and anganwadis (day care centers) in 17 locations spread across seven states in India. This is the world’s largest NGO-run school meal program feeding 10,08,518 school children daily. The foundation expects to reach a figure of five million children by 2020. For more information log on to www.akshayapatra.org Ushering in a technology-intensive operating model that ensures high-quality, hygienic food on the one hand and increased internal efficiencies on the other, the program has helped bring about policy changes at the state government levels and created a new image for mid-day meals in India. Akshaya Patra Foundation is an eloquent demonstration of public-private partnership as it is run with part subsidies from the government, besides financial support from corporates, individuals and philanthropists. For more details, please contact: Rajani R Manish T./ Ruchi Dwivedi Akshay Patra Foundation Adfactors PR Pvt Ltd 080 23578622 9742272208/ 9742272203 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] .