The Akshaya Patra Foundation has upgraded its kitchen in Mangalore district. The renewed kitchen was formally opened to commence operations on Tuesday, 17 June, 2014. The kitchen currently supplies mid-day meals to 147 Government schools in the Dakshina Kannada district.

The refurbished kitchen has more automation in cooking and handling of food, and new granite flooring. This move is aimed for the kitchen to further conform to national standards of food safety. The kitchen will continue to feed 23,000 school children every day.

However, this initiative of upgrading the kitchen is part of a bigger plan of the Foundation to reach out to 50,000 children a day. “The current kitchen is just 3,000 square feet and has reached its saturation point. We will need to get land for a bigger kitchen if our goal is to be met,” said Karunya Sagar Dasa, Unit President of Akshaya Patra, Mangalore.

At the opening of the kitchen, B Ramanath Rai, Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment, flagged off a new vehicle for transportation of the meals as well. As part of the celebration of the opening, ten of the toppers and meritorious students from the beneficiary schools of Akshaya Patra in Mangalore were awarded with scholarships.