Akshaya Patra SoCal Raises $600,000 At Annual Fundraiser

Photo:Rika Shah was honored for her philanthropic work and support of Akshaya Patra.

India-West Staff Reporter

IRVINE, CA – The Akshaya Patra charity gala, held at the Hilton Irvine on August 24, raised over $600,000 to address classroom hunger and malnutrition in India. The event, attended by nearly 320 people, featured significant contributions from donors Rika and Manu Shah, who pledged to match donations up to $250,000.

Their commitment was met with enthusiastic applause, and supporter Navneet Chugh’s push for additional pledges further galvanized attendees. The gala also included a raffle draw with prizes such as a Kobe Bryant jersey.

Akshaya Patra’s CEO, Navin Goel, spoke about the organization’s impact, emphasizing that hunger continues to impede education and, consequently, a better life for millions of children in India. Many families, unable to afford two meals a day, send their children to work instead of school. For those who do attend school, classroom hunger makes it difficult to focus. Akshaya Patra’s mid-day meal program provides a hot meal that can significantly improve these children’s ability to learn and thrive.

Currently, Akshaya Patra is the world’s largest NGO school meal program, serving over 2.2 million children in more than 24,000 schools across India every day. It costs just $20 to feed a child for an entire school year, though attendees were willing to contribute much more.

The gala featured keynote speaker Mary Sue Millikan, a renowned chef who inspired the audience with her talk on the importance of feeding the hungry. Dr. Puja Shah, author of “For My Sister,” a novel about the deep bond between sisters, was also a special guest.

The gala’s success was attributed to the efforts of Southern California chapter chairpersons Sonnal Ladvvaa and Parul Mehta, along with dedicated volunteers.

Entertainment was provided by singers Rajeshwari Kulkarni, Sandeep Kulkarni, and Priya Mani, while Sunny Moza hosted the evening with his versatile talents.

The vegetarian snacks and dinner were sponsored by notable Southern California restaurants, including Badmash in Los Angeles.