Kerala floods: Akshaya Patra sets up temporary kitchen in Alappuzha to serve free meals

The Akshaya Patra Foundation today said it has set up a temporary kitchen in Alappuzha district of Kerala to serve free meals to people in the flood-affected state.

So far, Akshaya Patra has served 25,000 freshly cooked meals (rice, sambar, special rice, palya) and around 70,000 chapattis in the region, the NGO said in a statement.

"We have ensured our best to serve fresh hot meals to the people of Kerala. ... We will continue our services by feeding till the situation stabilizes," Akshaya Patra Foundation Vice-Chairman Chanchalapathi Dasa said.

The first kitchen was set up at the Pandangiri Lower Primary School, but unfavourable weather conditions and heavy flooding resulted in it being shifted to St Aloysius College Stadium.

Eventually, the kitchen setup was moved to Kidangamparambu Sree Bhuvaneswari Temple auditorium in Alappuzha.

A team of 25 volunteers was immediately dispatched to the affected area to set up the kitchen and distribute freshly prepared food to the affected people. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were served through Akshaya Patra delivery vehicles.

Akshaya Patra Foundation is an NGO which helps in implementation of the government's mid-day meal scheme in schools.