10 NGOs battling hunger through mid-day meal in India

It not only provides at least one healthy meal to the children who otherwise have no other source of a proper meal but also encourages parents to send their kids to school more regularly. Help improve the nutritional level and attendance of kids from the disadvantageous society and help achieve two Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger and Quality Education, by sponsoring their nutritious mid-day meals.

1. Akshaya Patra Foundation

Tabassum’s parents work as labourers. Her schooling was never considered important. When the school in her village started providing a mid-day meal, her parents were happy to send her to school. All thanks to Akshaya Patra Foundation one of NGOs providing mid-day meals to children in India. It which aims to bring children to school, by providing them wholesome food every single school day. Akshaya Patra’s mission is to serve mid-day meals to 3 million children every day and achieve 3 million servings of morning nutrition. You can donate regularly through our mission, Feed the Hungry to Akshaya Patra. Donate to ensure that no child in India is deprived of an education because of hunger. 

2. Isha Education

Bairavi’s father is a daily wage labourer but he can’t work regularly because of his ill-health. Even one meal a day is hard for the family to arrange. This left Bhairavi malnourished and anaemic. After attending a school run by Isha Vidya and intake of nutritious mid-day meals, she started gaining strength and is no longer anaemic. Isha Vidhya is one of the NGOs providing mid-day meals to children in India. It runs eight schools and provides children with tasty and nutritious mid-day meal every day.  Donate to make sure a child can access his basic right to a nutritious hot meal.

3. Rajasthan Bal Kalyan Samiti (RBKS)

Dali belonged to a poor family, where they never had enough to fill their stomachs. After joining Rajasthan Bal Kalyan Samiti, one of NGOs providing mid-day Meals to children in India, she was provided with timely meals along with her education. This helped Dali to overcome malnutrition and concentrate on her studies. RBKS intervenes to combat the risk of malnourishment in the tribal area of southern Rajasthan. It runs residential schools for the deprived, catering close to 360 girls. Donate to this program and help girls get access to their basic right to a nutritious mid-day meal.

4) Navasrushti International Trust

Suhani’s parents couldn’t afford to feed her daily, which left her malnourished and weak to attend school. Her health improved when her school started providing warm and nutritious mid-day meals under Navasrushti International Trust’s program. Navasrushti is one of NGOs providing mid-day Meals to children in India. It provides mid-day meals to children in schools not supported by the government. Their aim is to make sure that no child from low-income families drops out because of hunger and malnutrition. Donate to provide kids one nutritious meal every school day and prevent dropping out from school.

5) Rural Development Foundation (RDF)

Sandeep is very good with sports, but he lacked the right training and strength to pursue his interest. In his school, he was provided with meals that included an egg a day and two glasses of milk to cater to the extra nutrition he needed. Thanks to Rural Development Foundation, Sandeep brought immense pride to his village by becoming a State Champion! RDF is one of NGOs providing mid-day Meals to children in India. It provides underprivileged children with a healthy mid-day meal every school day, catering to more than 1,000 students in Telangana. Donate to help children like Sandeep to pursue their dreams.  

6) ISKCON Food Relief Foundation (IFRF)

10-year-old Hitesh’s only meal a day used to be his dinner. This used to make him tired and weak to focus on anything by the evening and he would fall asleep immediately after eating his food. Hitesh’s life improved when he started getting mid-day meal in school under ISKCON Food Relief Foundation’s program. ISKCON is one of NGOs providing mid-day meals to children in India. A  nutritious meal helps him learn better at school. IFRF serves close to 12,00,000 children every day across eight states. Donate to make children like Hitesh have access to at least one good meal a day.

7) Milaan Be The Change

Savitri had to drop out of school after 8th grade. Due to  poverty, her family could hardly make ends meet, which reduced her childhood to doing household chores. When Swarachna Learning and Resource Centre by Milaan convinced her parents to send her back to school, she was also enrolled in the mid-day meal program. With regular nutrition, she began to get stronger and perform well in her studies. is one of the NGOs providing mid-day meals to children in India, SLRC operates in 13 villages of Uttar Pradesh, catering to over 300 children. Donate to this nonprofit and help a child get access to a mid-day meal.

8) Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled

Born visually impaired, life has never been easy for Priyanka. She enjoyed learning despite her physical limitations and completed her BA. She aimed for greater heights but unfortunately, her family did not have the means to support her further. That was when Samarthanam, is one of the NGOs providing mid-day meals to children in India, lended a helping hand and provided her with free accommodation and food. Donate for the mid-day meals of differently-abled students and help them battle their challenges better with a healthy mind and heart. 

9) Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS)

Subash belongs to a poor tribal village in Odisha. There are days when there is no food on the table. Subash was hopeless until he was brought to Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences for his free education. Here, he is also provided with three meals every day. This gives him much needed nutrition to learn and grow.  KISS is the largest residential institute for the tribals in the world, providing education, accommodation, food, and healthcare. It has reached out to 20,000 children from 62 tribes of Odisha. Donate to this nonprofit and give these children a shot at a future filled with hope and possibility.

10) Purkal Youth Development Society (PYDS)

Prachi, a 7-year-old lives in a single room house with her family. Her mother, a single parent, earns a meager income with which she tries to fill the stomach of seven members of the family. When Prachi joined the PYDS Program, she was malnourished, and couldn’t concentrate on her studies. With a balanced diet and medical attention, her health improved. PYDS makes an effort to ensure that no child becomes a victim of malnutrition. Close to 250 students are served nutritious meals every day. Support this program to provide a child with the basic right to food that he deserves.

Donate to any of the above NGOs for mid-day meal of children who otherwise may not afford a proper meal. Want to know more about how you can help? Get in touch with us in the comments below.

FAQs

What is the Mid-Day Meal Scheme?
The main government programme is mid-day meal scheme, known as PM POSHAN. It provides free, nutritious meals to children in government and government-aided schools across India. The goal is twofold: to address child hunger and malnutrition, and to encourage school enrollment and regular attendance. Several NGOs, including Akshaya Patra, partner with the government to help implement this scheme at scale, running large-scale kitchens that prepare and deliver meals to schools daily.

Who benefits the most from mid-day meal donation programs?
Children from low-income and vulnerable families benefit the most, as many rely on this meal as their most reliable — sometimes only — source of nutrition in a day. These programs also indirectly benefit families, since one less meal to provide eases financial pressure, and communities, since better-nourished children are more likely to stay in school and grow into healthier, more productive adults.

How do NGOs ensure that donated meals are nutritious?
NGOs typically follow nutritional guidelines set by government bodies, ensuring meals include an adequate balance of calories, protein, and essential micronutrients suited to a growing child’s needs. Organisations like Akshaya Patra run large, centralised kitchens with strict quality and hygiene standards, often preparing meals for hundreds of thousands of children daily, with menus designed by nutrition experts and regularly reviewed for consistency and quality.

How can sponsoring a child’s meal improve their education?
A well-fed child can concentrate better, has more energy to participate in class, and is less likely to be distracted by hunger during school hours. Reliable nutrition supports better cognitive development and academic performance over time. Sponsoring a meal also removes a significant barrier that might otherwise keep a child from attending school regularly in the first place.

Can donating meals help reduce school dropout rates?
Yes. One of the well-documented outcomes of mid-day meal programs is improved school attendance and retention. When a nutritious meal is guaranteed at school, it becomes an added incentive for families to send and keep their children enrolled, especially in communities where hunger or the cost of food might otherwise pull children out of school to work or help at home.

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