SURYA PRESIDENT SATYA TIWARI JOINS AKSHAYA PATRA USA ADVISORY BOARD
CALHOUN, Ga. — Oct. 19, 2015 — 
Satya Tiwari, president of Surya, has been named to the
Akshaya Patra USA Advisory Board. Akshaya Patra runs one of the world’s largest school meal programs, serving 1.5 million children in rural India hot, nutritious lunches each day, encouraging them to attend school and giving them the opportunity for a better future.
In his role on the six-member advisory board, Satya will work to expand the reach of the school lunch program to serve the communities in northern India where more than 50,000 Surya artisans live. Through the addition of a new kitchen near Varanasi, India, Satya aims to provide the children of Surya’s weavers with access to the nutrition and education needed to help them lead successful lives and break free from the cycle of poverty.
“Satya’s enthusiasm to build and serve the dreams of others through his support for Akshaya Patra is truly inspiring,” said Emily Rosenbaum, CEO of Akshaya Patra USA. “We are so honored that he has chosen to be part of the Akshaya Patra movement to eliminate childhood hunger and promote universal education.”
Satya, who himself grew up in a small village in northeastern India, experienced firsthand the health and educational challenges encountered in rural areas. In 2012, he set out to make a difference in the lives of thousands of children and their families, pledging to make an annual financial contribution on Surya's behalf to Akshaya Patra. Surya’s “Miles for Meals” initiative was launched soon thereafter to raise additional funds for the organization via participation by Surya employees in an annual half marathon event. To date, Miles for Meals fundraising efforts have generated $140K in donations for the innovative lunch program.
“In the almost four years that Surya has partnered with Akshaya Patra, I’ve witnessed the amazing things that passion, diligence and purpose can accomplish, and that’s inspired me to do more,” said Satya Tiwari, president, Surya. “Making financial contributions is important, but it’s even more important to roll up your sleeves to make sure that those contributions are achieving the best results possible. I’m honored to join the Akshaya Patra Advisory Board and look forward to working with this game-changing organization to help remove the barrier of hunger one meal at a time.”
Surya’s 2015 Miles for Meals campaign, which runs through Oct. 31, 2015, is aiming to raise $75K for Akshaya Patra, which will feed 5,000 children for the entire year. Just $15 feeds a single child for a year. Donations to the campaignare tax-deductible and can be made via:
www.foodforeducation.org/campaign/miles-meals-2015.
View images from Akshaya Patra.
About Akshaya Patra
The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a secular non-profit organization in a public private partnership with the Indian government, implements the world's largest NGO managed mid-day meal program. Akshaya Patra began as a pilot program feeding 1,500 children daily in five schools. Driven by the vision of its founders and Board members, Akshaya Patra currently feeds hot lunches to more than 1.5 million children each day and has set an aggressive goal of serving 5 million children by 2020. Akshaya Patra has a team of more than 5,800 employees who prepare and distribute the meals. To learn more, visit
www.foodforeducation.org.