The foundations plan to distribute meals across 13 cities including Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, Jaipur, amongst others
Partners with The Akshaya Patra Foundation to provide 1.2 lakh meals
Bengluru, NFAPost: Strengthening food security for local communities, Ola Foundation, the social welfare arm of Ola, plans to serve 1.2 lakh meals to support the driver-partner network.
The initiative is part of the nationwide initiative “Drive the Driver Fund” that was launched by Ola Foundation in March to support the driver partners affected by the pandemic. Ola Foundation has partnered with The Akshaya Patra Foundation to deliver wholesome meal kits to drivers and their families across 13 Indian cities.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation will facilitate the on-ground implementation of the initiative by providing relief to local communities across Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune, and Jaipur amongst others.
Building on its previous efforts to ensure the well-being of driver-partners and their families, the meal distribution drive is in line with the Ola Foundation’s goal of extending their support to the driver community.
Emergency support
The welfare arm has already enabled more than 1 crore meals for this community through the ‘Drive The Driver’ fund. The initiative also focussed on key areas such as emergency support and essential supplies, which are of great significance to drivers partners during these challenging times. Drivers and their families have also been provided access to free medical consultation.
Speaking about the meal distribution drive, Ola Spokesperson Anand Subramanian said as India continues to embrace the new normal, helping affected communities to move ahead will require collective action and support.
“In our continuous endeavour to support the driver community at large, we are happy to partner with The Akshaya Patra Foundation to further serve tens of thousands of families in yet another small way through this nationwide initiative,” said Ola Spokesperson Anand Subramanian.
Collaboration
The Akshaya Patra Foundation CEO Shridhar Venkat said the organisation is impressed with the quick response showed by Ola Foundation in reaching out to the driver community and their families.
“As a corporate with a heart, they have shown immense empathy to those stakeholders who keep their business growing and thriving. We are immensely grateful for our collaboration, as we come together to serve those who help us move forward,” said The Akshaya Patra Foundation CEO Shridhar Venkat.
Ola Foundation is a private charitable trust formed under the Indian Trusts Act. The Foundation, backed by Ola (ANI Technologies Pvt Ltd), is working towards empowering women, the driver community and vulnerable groups across the country. Their vision is to transform lives by increasing access to resources and opportunities that help communities thrive.
The Akshaya Patra Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation headquartered in Bengaluru, India, which strives to address issues like hunger and malnutrition in the country. By implementing the Mid-Day Meal Scheme in Government and Government-aided schools, Akshaya Patra aims to fight hunger and at the same time, bring children to school. Since 2000, Akshaya Patra has worked towards reaching out to children with wholesome food on every single school day.
The Foundation is continuously leveraging technology to cater to millions of children. Its state-of-the-art kitchens have become a subject of study and attract curious visitors from around the world. In partnership with the Government of India and various State Governments, and the inestimable support of many philanthropic donors and well-wishers, Akshaya Patra has grown from humble beginnings serving just 1,500 school children across five schools.
It has now grown to become the world’s largest (not-for-profit run) mid-day meal programme, serving wholesome food to over 1.8 million children from 19,039 schools across 12 states & 2 union territories in India.
