CB BureauAs of 3 May 2020, Akshaya Patra and its supporting organisations have served over 4 crore meals to people from vulnerable communities. These include nearly 2 crore freshly cooked meals that have been served to daily-wage earners, industrial workers, labourers at construction sites, etc., and more than 5 lakh food-relief kits with essential groceries”amounting to over 2 crore meals”that have been distributed to the affected people.
Akshaya Patra has been working closely with various state governments, UT administrations and civic bodies. The organisation is utilising its kitchen network to prepare the meals and deliver them to centres assigned by the authorities where it is then served to people. Simultaneously, packaging centres have been set up in various locations where food-relief kits with essential groceries are packed based on local requirements. For instance, the kits distributed in Bangalore contain rice, tur dal, oil, spices, sambar and rasam powder, and vegetables with a long shelf-life, such as potatoes and pumpkins. Each kit has groceries sufficient for either 42 or 28 meals.
The spokesperson informs CauseBecause that the Foundation is taking additional precautions for food safety as well as the safety of staff and volunteers. Measures include orientation on personal hygiene, hand sanitisation and social distancing. Security guards have been assigned to man the entrance of the premises and screen employees and volunteers with a handheld infrared thermometer. Everyone has been asked to use proper respiratory masks during the commute and their temperature is checked at the entrance before entering the kitchen or packaging facility. Inside the premises, everyone is supposed to wear hairnets, face masks and gloves at all times. Every employee and volunteer has been instructed to report any kind of illness to their immediate supervisor and seek medical attention immediately if they are showing any symptoms.
Several corporate houses – such as Biocon Foundation, Capgemini, CISCO, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, Gland Pharmaceuticals, HT Parekh Foundation, Hero MotoCorp, LG Electronics, Morgan Stanley, Nestle India, Vivo, and Walmart – have contributed to this endeavour. Bollywood personalities such as Hrithik Roshan and Raveena Tandon have also donated to the Foundation’s efforts. Volunteer groups, such as Inspiring Indians and Corona Warriors, as well as corporate volunteers from organisations such as Infosys Foundation have assisted in relief feeding as well.