The American Tower Foundation, the global philanthropic arm of American Tower Corporation (ATC) has donated to Akshaya Patra Foundation, a leading humanitarian organization to distribute grocery kits Pan India through ATC CSR Foundation India.
The programme entails providing 19 lakh meals across 31 locations to families who have been adversely impacted owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These include daily wagers, contract workers, and migrant population who have been displaced and are out of work because of the pandemic. The distribution drive in Delhi was carried out over a period of 25 days, providing around 184800 meals.
ATC CSR Foundation India is the CSR arm of ATC India, one of the leading independent Passive Telecom Infrastructure Providers in India and is an indirectly-held subsidiary of ATC. At the beginning of the countrywide lockdown, there was a huge outpouring of support for the displaced and marginalized. These efforts have come down significantly since the country began to restart and reopen. However, there are large swathes of the population – especially among migrant workers – that continue to suffer from job losses and depleted savings.
Amit Sharma, EVP and President Asia at ATC said, “As the world takes on the threat posed by COVID-19, the impact has been felt more acutely by people who are facing a challenging economic situation to the extent of being unable to garner two meagre meals for their family. As an engaged member of the business and broader social community, American Tower Corporation (ATC) is committed to support COVID relief work and provide assistance through its NGO partner Akshaya Patra Foundation by making available grocery and ration kits to the vulnerable communities. We are extremely thankful to the Delhi Government and Ghaziabad and Noida District Authorities for their on ground support in making this drive a success.”
Each food kit comprised rice, wheat flour, sugar, pulses, cooking oil, and salt. The distribution drive was conducted across various locations of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Noida.
According to Shridhar Venkat, CEO, Akshaya Patra Foundation, “We are deeply grateful to American Tower Foundation for collaborating with us in reaching out to distressed and unserved communities. COVID-19 has reinforced that we must collectively help those facing economic hardships. Hunger is a crime against humanity and schoolgoing children have been severely impacted by malnutrition due to the absence of mid-day meals. During this entire pandemic phase, we have served 80 million meals to families, thanks to donors such as American Tower Foundation. Truly a corporate with a heart and an empathetic partner that embodies zeal.”
Over the weeks, ATC CSR Foundation India along with Akshaya Patra Foundation engaged with social volunteers and government officials to undertake the distribution drive.
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