BOSTON- The Akshaya Patra Foundation USA’s Boston chapter held its New England gala, Feed to Educate, earlier this month at the Burlington Marriott in Burlington, Massachusetts.
Around 400 business, non-profit, government, and philanthropic leaders came out to support the organization’s dual mission of addressing childhood hunger and
malnutrition and to promote education for underserved children in India.
The panel discussion between Boston leaders, Udit Bhatra, CEO of Waters Corporation; Dr.
Reshma Kewalramani MD, President & CEO, Vertex Pharmaceuticals; Mitzi Perdue, Author,
Speaker and Anti-Trafficking Advocate and Navin Goel, CEO of Akshaya Patra Foundation
USA, underscored the importance of the midday meal program.
Mitzi Perdue stated, “One of the biggest ways to prevent both poverty and human trafficking is through education. By providing food at schools, Akshaya Patra does more to encourage education on a broader scale than any other organization possible.”
Comedian Rajiv Satyal regaled guests with his wit and sense of humor. Special guest Shaleen Sheth, co-founder of Women Who Win, a global media platform that empowers women, highlighted the female change makers of Akshaya Patra. Akshaya Patra Youth Ambassadors organized a virtual talent contest prior to the gala and invited the winner to accept a prize on stage.
Organizers thanked Sapna Saxena, who donated funds from her wedding to the Foundation, and Samantha Ganglani, who has been organizing young professionals in support of Akshaya Patra for several years.
Boston chapter Gala Chairs included Rakesh Kamdar, Ajita Bhat, Venkat Kolluri ,Chandu Shah, Bela Chandok, Rajeev Jain, Anjan Mehta, Ameeta Mehta, Dr. Manju Sheth, Dr. Vinay Kumar, Ravi Sakhuja, Rekha Gopalan, Sona Menon, Sowmya & Suneel Krishnaswamy, Sushil Bhatia and Urvashi Bhatia.
Established in 2000, The Akshaya Patra Foundation is the world’s largest NGO school meal
program, providing hot, nutritious school lunches to over 1.8 million children in over 19,257 schools through 58 kitchens in 12 states and two Union Territories in India. It costs only $20 to feed a child for an entire school year. In 2006, the Akshaya Patra Foundation USA was formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The foundation is headquartered in Los Angeles, California and supports the Akshaya Patra mission by raising funds and awareness in the United States.
