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| Applied Materials Partners With Akshaya Patra Foundation |
Kathleen Cosgrove
08/05/2009
Applied Materials PARTNERS with Akshaya Patra
Foundation
The Akshaya Patra Foundation, the world’s largest NGO-run midday meal program, recently received a grant from Applied Materials, the global leader in Nanomanufacturing Technology™, to purchase a state-of-the-art distribution vehicle. The custom-designed vehicle will be used to distribute midday meals to children in government schools in Bangalore.
“We applaud Applied Materials for addressing the challenges facing the global society and promoting, among other goals, corporate social responsibility as an important way to create brighter futures,†said Madhu Sridhar, President of Akshaya Patra USA. “Corporate giving is a powerful demonstration of a company’s values. We commend the leadership for fostering a culture of giving and service and we look forward to a strong long lasting relationship with Applied Materials.â€
Akshaya Patra is currently feeding over one million school children daily. The grant will also help feed over 1,000 children for the entire 220-day school year. The vehicle will distribute food to the GHS Kadabagre, GHS Chikkagollarahatte and GHS Hosahalli schools in Bangalore covering more than 1,000 students.
Applied Materials Managing Director of Global Community Affairs, Mark Walker, reinforced the company's commitment to meaningful CSR activities. “Our focus is primarily on the local community and critical human service issues, especially the needs of underprivileged children,†said Walker. Our partnership with the Akshaya Patra Foundation is special, as it provides the opportunity to ensure the basic needs of a child's nourishment. The meal van initiative is our humble way of supporting that need, thereby the children are provided with timely, healthy food which is critical for their growth and educational progress.â€
Applied Materials also supports these schools through their Digital Equalizer program. This program sets up special computer labs which help improve teaching and learning capabilities through the effective integration of computer technology into the students’ regular curriculum. Applied Materials aims to unleash the potential of the underprivileged youth through the Digital Equalizer program and provide the children with a platform to explore the growth that technology can bring to their day to day lives.
“We are glad that companies are taking the lead in initiatives aimed at creating a better and prosperous society,†said Chanchalapathi Das, Vice Chair of Akshaya Patra India. “This support is truly inspiring and we have an additional responsibility to live up to people’s expectations and reach more children.â€
About Akshaya Patra
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is the world’s largest NGO-run midday meal program, feeding over one million children each day in over 5,700 schools through 17 kitchens in seven states in India. A public-private partnership, Akshaya Patra combines good management, innovative technology and smart engineering to deliver school lunch at a fraction of the cost of similar programs in other parts of the world. It costs $28 to feed a child daily for the entire school year. With an average government subsidy of 50 percent, $28 can feed two children. This gives them an incentive to come to school, stay in school and provides them with the necessary nutrients they need to develop their cognitive abilities to focus on learning.
Akshaya Patra’s kitchens are specially designed by engineers to leverage technology. The organization also sources its food stocks from local markets, thereby reducing costs associated with transportation and food spoilage while supporting the local economy. In a short time, the foundation has grown to become the largest, and certainly most innovative, school lunch program in the world. Akshaya Patra is a great example of what can be accomplished when the public sector, private sector and the civic society collaborate-- a cost effective, scalable solution with high quality service delivery. After reaching its goal of feeding one million children each school day, Akshaya Patra’s next milestone is to serve 5 million children daily by 2020. For more information, please visit www.foodforeducation.org.
About Applied Materials, Inc.
Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT) is the global leader in Nanomanufacturing Technologyâ„¢ solutions with a broad portfolio of innovative equipment, service and software products for the fabrication of semiconductor chips, flat panels, solar photovoltaic cells, flexible electronics and energy efficient glass. At Applied Materials, we apply Nanomanufacturing Technology to improve the way people live.
Applied Materials measures its value as a global citizen in part by its efforts to strengthen the communities where it does business. In order to achieve our goals of providing leadership and making meaningful social contributions around the world, we aim to address specific community needs by supporting initiatives in Education, Civic Development, the Environment and Arts & Culture. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.
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