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| The Surya team at the Allstate Atlanta Half-Marathon. |
Akshaya Patra is an NGO-run meal program that serves more than 1.3 million children in rural India freshly-prepared, nutritious meals every day. For many of them, the Akshaya Patra provided lunch might be their only complete meal for the day. This work also acts as a powerful incentive for parents to keep their children in school, according to a press release.
Surya became involved with the organization earlier this year, donating $250,000 to help provide thousands of children with healthy meals for an entire year.
Surya President Satya Tiwari decided to use a local race to further the worthwhile cause. He and a team of Surya employees, all running in the Allstate Atlanta Half-Marathon, enlisted the help of family, friends, customers and the local community in raising donations for their program, which they've dubbed "Miles for Meals." The group was able to raise more than $29,000, exceeding their initial goal by over $4,000. These valuable donations will in turn help the organization to feed 1,941 children over the coming year.
"I want to personally thank all of those who donated their time and money towards this amazing cause," Tiwari said. "Growing up in northern India, I saw the desperate need that still exists in so many communities for the healthy food and educational opportunities that can so easily be taken for granted."
