The Akshaya Patra Foundation USA held its first ever hybrid Gratitude Gala on Saturday, November 20th, 2021. The Gratitude Gala was a huge success with over 500 in-person attendees and several hundred virtual attendees who viewed the event on Akshaya Patra’s webpage, Youtube page, and via live broadcast from performer Sparsh Shah’s personal Youtube page. Similarly, the Gala’s speakers also presented in hybrid fashion - with some speakers presenting in-person and others digitally from across the world. 

The Gratitude Gala was highlighted by key-note speakers Indra Nooyi (Former Chairman & CEO of PepsiCo), Anita Dongre (Global Fashion Designer), Dr. George M. Abraham (President of American College of Physicians) Desh Deshpande (Emeritus Chairman of Akshaya Patra Foundation), and guest speaker Randhir Jaiswal (Consul General of India in New York). The evening was led by talented Actor Omi Vaidya acting as the evening's emcee. Guests were treated to multiple moving performances from the inspirational Sparsh Shah (Singer/Songwriter). Our Board members, Rachana Kulkarni, Desh Deshpande, and Siva Sivaram spoke to the impact Akshaya Patra has made in India and how the foundation has become a role model for the rest of the world.

“Today we have heard of the singular contributions of Akshaya Patra in the education of children in India. The underprivileged need that leg up in life, which is what this organization is all about.” - Dr. George Abraham

“Balance is very important. We take so much from society, and therefore the law of nature says that we must give back.” - Consul General Randhir Jaiswal

The funds raised from the Gratitude Gala will support mid-day meals for school children now that schools are beginning to reopen for the 2021-2022 school year. Recently, Akshaya Patra celebrated the opening of schools in the following states: Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.

Overall, the event was full of heartfelt gratitude, lively musical performances, and enlightening conversations celebrating the beneficiaries, volunteers, and chapter teams from Connecticut, Long Island, New Jersey, New York, and South Florida. 

About Akshaya Patra

Established in 2000, Akshaya Patra is the world’s largest NGO school meal program providing hot, nutritious lunches to over 1.8 million children throughout India. It costs just $20 to feed a child for an entire school year. Since the COVID-19 lockdown began on March 24th, 2020, Akshaya Patra has served more than 191 million meals for food relief to migrant workers, beneficiaries, and vulnerable communities in India.

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