BURLINGTON, MA – The Akshaya Patra Foundation USA held its annual Boston Gala on June 1 at the Boston Marriott Burlington, drawing a crowd of over 400 supporters from across New England for an evening of inspiration, celebration, and extraordinary generosity.
The event raised over $600,000, surpassing its fundraising goal, to support the organization’s mission of ending classroom hunger through its mid-day meal program in India.
The evening was emceed by nationally recognized comedian Rajiv Satyal, whose sharp wit and heartfelt humor kept guests entertained while reinforcing the spirit of giving. A special performance by 22-year-old musical prodigy Sparsh Shah, who captivated the audience with his powerful blend of Indian classical and rap—dubbed “raga rap”—further added to the emotional resonance of the night. His message of resilience and empowerment echoed Akshaya Patra’s commitment to transforming lives through nourishment and education.
The gala was organized under the leadership of Boston Chapter Co-Chairs Ajita Bhat, Bela Chandhok, Rajeev Jain, Samantha Ganglani, Yoshika Sherring, and Venkat Kolluri, along with Chapter Advisor Rakesh Kamdar and a dedicated committee including Dr. Manju Sheth, Neena Grover, Diya Patel, Dr. Megha Joshi, Dr. Smita Patel, Rama Neti, Dr. Anand Kanjolia, and Nidhi Singhal. The involvement of Youth Ambassadors and volunteers further underscored the event’s community-driven energy.
“This was a night to remember—not only for the entertainment and the fellowship but because of what we achieved together,” said Mr. Kolluri. “The generosity shown here will ripple through generations of children.”
New Kitchen Sponsorships in Patna and Leh
A highlight of the event was the announcement of two new kitchen projects in Patna, Bihar and Leh, Ladakh.
The Patna Kitchen, a $1.87 million facility sponsored by Renu & Kedar Gupta and Renu & Nilendu Srivastava, will serve children in a region with high dropout rates and chronic malnutrition. Designed for scale and food safety, it will dramatically improve learning conditions for thousands of students.
The Leh Kitchen, funded by an anonymous donor with a $1.47 million commitment, will operate in one of the most remote regions of the Himalayas. With government support and backing from local civic leaders, this kitchen is expected to begin operations by July 2027, serving approximately 5,000 children.
Expansion of the Breakfast Programme
The gala also spotlighted the expansion of Akshaya Patra’s Breakfast Programme, which currently reaches over 600,000 children across five Indian states. The program delivers nutritious morning snacks—like millet bars, roasted legumes, and peanut chikkis—boosting academic performance and energy levels. Each snack provides around 250 KCal and 5–8 grams of protein, a lifeline for children who often start the day without food.
A Call for Future Support: Rural Kitchen Sponsorships Needed
In line with the Foundation’s vision to reach every underserved child, the organization is seeking sponsorships for upcoming kitchen projects in: Nellore, Ongole, Mysore, Ujjain, Indore, Mahaboob Nagar, Warangal, Ayodhya and Jhansi.
These rural kitchens represent opportunities to impact thousands of young lives in regions where nutritious food and educational access are critically limited.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation USA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating classroom hunger in India by providing free mid-day meals to schoolchildren. Operating 77 high-efficiency centralized kitchens across India, the program currently feeds over 2.25 million children in 24,000+ government schools every day, making it the world’s largest NGO-run school meal program.
