NetApp Supports Akshaya Patra’s Covid-19 Food Relief Effort

Sponsors 10,000 Happiness Kits to government school children

 by Suman Gupta

Mumbai, April 06, 2021: The pandemic has posed a public health crisis and also been a major contributor to increasing hunger levels among underprivileged strata of society, disrupting the entire economic fabric of the country. Simultaneously, it also created havoc in the food supply chain, leading to acute food insecurity nationwide.  NetApp, a global cloud-led, data-centric software company, partnered with The Akshaya Patra Foundation for distribution of 10,000 Happiness Kits to underprivileged government school children and their families in Bangalore. The partnership between NetApp and Akshaya Patra has been ongoing for 7 long years. NetApp had also been a sponsor for Mid-Day Meals for 5,000 children in government schools in Bangalore before the schools shut down during the lockdown.

Speaking about the feeding initiative, Ravi Chhabria, MD, NetApp India, said that, “Akshaya Patra is doing stellar work in the area of child hunger and malnutrition. It is well known that mid-day meals have resulted in better school attendance and lower dropout rates. Education and hunger relief are both big areas of giving for NetApp because they are the first step towards enabling an inclusive community. During the last seven years, we have had multiple associations with The Akshaya Patra Foundation, whether it be a charity cooking competition, or donating food delivery vehicles, cooking appliances or – most importantly for us – volunteering our time. We really look forward to associating with them in future as well, continuing on the journey to better education and health for young children.”

The focus of NetApp’s CSR programs is largely on:

• Eradication of Hunger, Poverty, Malnutrition

• Preventive Healthcare, Water and Sanitation

• Education, Employability and Livelihoods Enhancement

Shridhar Venkat, CEO, The Akshaya Patra Foundation said, “I am grateful for the trust that NetApp has shown in us. Last year has been difficult for the entire nation with loss of livelihoods especially among vulnerable groups. The one lesson we have learnt is that empathy and compassion are twin parameters that define Indians. We have served over 12 crore meals as part of our Covid food relief efforts and it’s been only possible due to the huge support we have received from corporates, govt, and the general public. It’s only collective effort which can help us overcome the massive food insecurity present in our country.”

NetApp also contributed generously toward the distribution of 14,738 food kits to passengers travelling on Shramik trains from Bangalore to Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand. Even during these virtual times, NetApp employees invested in volunteering for the varied programs run by Akshaya Patra Foundation. Additionally, as part of NetApp’s observance of Hunger Month in November 2020, the company organized a webinar with participation from their employees and Akshaya Patra Foundation to discuss about the importance of food as essential to life and access to food as a fundamental right. The webinar was followed by a virtual tour of a kitchen. Volunteers noted how hot and nutritious meals were being cooked for government school children before the schools shut down. 345 employee volunteers from more than 10 countries participated.

About The Akshaya Patra Foundation: The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Bengaluru, India, which strives to address issues like hunger and malnutrition in the country. By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Government and Government-aided schools, Akshaya Patra aims to fight hunger and at the same time, bring children to school. Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has worked towards reaching out to children with wholesome food on every single school day. The Foundation is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children. Its state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and attract curious visitors from around the world.

In partnership with the Government of India and various State Governments, and the inestimable support of many philanthropic donors and well-wishers, Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings serving just 1,500 school children across five schools to becoming the world’s largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal programme, serving wholesome food to over 1.8 million children from 19,039 schools across 12 states & 2 union territories in India. For more details, please log on:http://www.akshayapatra.org

About NetApp: NetApp is a global cloud-led, data-centric software company that empowers organizations to lead with data in the age of accelerated digital transformation. The company provides systems, software and cloud services that enable them to run their applications optimally from data center to cloud, whether they are developing in the cloud, moving to the cloud, or creating their own cloudlike experiences on premises. With solutions that perform across diverse environments, NetApp helps organizations build their own data fabric and securely deliver the right data, services and applications to the right people—anytime, anywhere. Learn more at http://www.netapp.com or https://www.netapp.com/