Surya Sets Fundraising Goal of $75K for “Miles for Meals” Campaign

Furniture World News Desk on 9/3/2015

 
Surya reported that it has launched its fourth annual Miles for Meals fundraising campaign in support of Akshaya Patra, an international school lunch program that provides children in impoverished areas in India with an incentive to attend school along with the nutrition they need to thrive. More than 56 Surya employees and partners have signed up to participate in a half marathon event in Atlanta on Oct. 4, 2015, to help raise money for the NGO-run program.

Surya established the Miles for Meals campaign in 2012 as a way to positively impact the lives and families of the more than 50,000 weavers it employs in villages located in Northern India. Exceeding its fundraising target every year, Surya has already raised over $140K for the innovative lunch program, which serves a freshly prepared hot meal each day to 1.5 million children throughout India. Based on the success of last year’s campaign, which generated $69K to feed more than 4,600 school children, Surya has set its sights even higher this year – targeting $75K in contributions.

“It’s staggering to realize that a third of children in India suffer from malnourishment,” said Satya Tiwari, president, Surya. “Something as simple as a mid-day meal has the power not only to improve the overall health and well-being of children but also gives them access to education, enabling them to lead successful lives and break the chains of poverty. We are excited to kick off this year’s Miles for Meals campaign which, with the support of our employees, customers and business partners, will bring lasting change to the lives of so many children and their families.”

Donations to Surya’s Miles for Meals campaign are tax-deductible and can be made through Oct. 31, 2015, via the following site:  www.foodforeducation.org/campaign/miles-meals-2015. It costs just $15 to feed one child for the entire year.

To learn more about Akshaya Patra and Surya’s commitment to social responsibility, visit http://www.surya.com/social-responsibility/.

View photos of some of the children whose lives are being changed by the Akshaya Patra lunch program.

About Surya: Surya is the premier one-stop source for coordinating home accessories for a broad range of lifestyles and budgets. An expert at translating the latest apparel and interior design trends, Surya artfully combines color, pattern and texture to offer more than 40,000 fashion forward products, including rugs, pillows, throws, wall decor, accent furniture, lighting, decorative accents and bedding. The brand also provides innovative display, merchandising and training solutions to support retailers in successfully promoting and selling home accessories. Surya has showrooms in Atlanta, Dallas, High Point, Las Vegas, New Delhi and Toronto. To learn more, visit www.surya.com.

About Akshaya Patra: The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a secular non-profit organization in a public private partnership with the Indian government, implements the world's largest NGO managed mid-day meal program. Akshaya Patra began as a pilot program feeding 1,500 children daily in five schools. Driven by the vision of its founders and Board members, Akshaya Patra currently feeds hot lunches to more than 1.5 million children each day and has set an aggressive goal of serving 5 million children by 2020. Akshaya Patra has a team of more than 5,800 employees who prepare and distribute the meals. To learn more, visit www.foodforeducation.org.