At Palo Alto Networks, we want to create a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. People are at the heart of everything we do; and, as part of our social impact initiatives we often encourage our workforce to invest their time and skills in community level causes that are close to their hearts. Our teams are always on the lookout to make a meaningful difference with their volunteering efforts, particularly helping underserved communities. And as a company we actively encourage them to do so in the form of regular volunteering and team building initiatives.
“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Akshaya Patra, a non-profit organization that works towards eliminating hunger by providing nutritious meals to school children in India. As an organization committed to social responsibility, we believe that access to education and nutrition is a fundamental right for every child. We are honored to join hands with Akshaya Patra in their mission to end classroom hunger and provide access to education for the children they serve. Through this partnership, we will be supporting Akshaya Patra's mid-day meal program by contributing towards the cost of meals for school children. We are also committed to raising awareness about the importance of nutrition and education in the community and encouraging others to join us in supporting this cause. Together, we hope to make a meaningful impact in the lives of children and their families in India” Ranjith K P, Director Human Resources - India
“Palo Alto Networks has been a key partner in Akshaya Patra’s endeavour to serve school children with mid-day meals. They have enabled Akshaya Patra to serve over 500,000 hot, nutritious, safe and tasty school meals across multiple locations in Karnataka. Their spirit of partnership and collaboration in solving a social challenge is commendable. And we look forward to continuing this partnership.” Shridhar Venkat- CEO, The Akshaya Patra Foundation
Community First, Always
Palo Alto Networks employees based out of Bengaluru got first-hand experience of what it’s like to work in a centralized kitchen by participating in the preparation of mid-day meals for school children studying in local government schools.
Employees got a chance to volunteer at a semi-automated Akshaya Patra Kitchen (part of The Akshaya Patra Foundation) that operates across the country. Over two million school children are served mid-day meals under its Public-Private Partnership model, with over 60 kitchens in operation across the country. The Rajajinagar kitchen (the Foundation’s first ever kitchen) alone, which our employees volunteered at, serves a whopping 85,000 meals in a single day!
“For me this was an incredibly rewarding opportunity,” says Abel Cherian, Procurement Systems Analyst. Interacting with the kitchen team and working with them to prep, cook, and serve food was a dedicated team effort much like what we strive to do at Palo Alto Networks (collaboration is one of our core values). And the goal: to make sure that no child goes hungry by providing access to healthy and nutritious food.
The Kitchen Trials
While working at the Akshaya Patra kitchens as volunteers, the team realized the massive effort that goes into making nutritious food daily in bulk. For instance, our 10 employees spent almost an hour just prepping huge quantities of green chillies (to be added while cooking) or that the prep for the day’s meals starts at 12 midnight! This made them realize what kinds of effort and coordination goes into feeding hundreds of thousands of children across the country.
Rajesh Rawal, a Principal Research Engineer volunteering at the kitchen, shared a personal experience of having witnessed Akshaya Patra vans delivering hot meals to children in his neighborhood government school. He also saw this volunteering opportunity as a lesson in effective management in terms of how the serving cycles were organized with procurement, preparation, very limited waste, timely delivery and value.
“I would highly recommend volunteering at Akshaya Patra to anyone who wants to make a positive difference in their community and gain a better appreciation of some of the blessings we forget to be thankful for,” Rajesh Rawal says.
Working and uplifting communities and integrating those social values into our culture and company is very much a part of Palo Alto Networks. Our corporate responsibility pillars include passion, planet and people as we work to make the world safer and more secure.
Learn more about our corporate responsibility efforts. To explore ways in which you can volunteer or donate to Akshaya Patra Kitchens, visit their website.
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