The Akshaya Patra Foundation proudly opened its 23rd kitchen unit in Cuttack in the state of Odisha. Inaugurated by the Honourable Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik, the occasion saw General Surat Singh Sandhu, the Chairman of The Kusuma Foundation and Pankaj Vinayak Sharma, Country Leader of The Kusuma Foundation in the ceremony.
This 21st centralised kitchen will feed 45,000 children across 190 schools on every school day. The kitchen will cook 5.5 tonnes of rice, 3.5 tonnes of vegetables and 1.2 tonnes dal (lentils) every day. By 2015, the kitchen is expected to increase cooking capacity to 100,000 meals every day.
The kitchen is fitted with state-of-the-art equipment that enables it to cook food on a large scale. It is equipped with boilers, rice cleaning machines, cold storage, conveyor belts, specially designed utensils, as well as 20 custom-designed meal distribution vehicles, particularly insulated against heat and dust, to keep the food fresh for consumption.
The kitchen has been set up with the kind contribution of the primary donor, The Kusuma Trust (UK), as well as RC Infinity Foundation (Kolkata), LIC Golden Jubilee Foundation, NALCO, and the Odisha Mining Corporation.
This is The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s third centralised kitchen in Odisha!