First ever Hunger Mitao campaign in the region showcases the unity, philanthropy and spirit of the Washington area’s Indian American community.
Washington, DC — August 12, 2019 — Indian Americans across the Washington metropolitan region are coming together to solve hunger with the Capital Area Food Bank. The soon to be launched Indian American Council (IAC) for Capital Area Food Bank is conducting its first fund drive during the month of August to provide meals to people experiencing hunger in our region as part of the national Hunger Mitao Campaign.
With a rallying cry of “Hunger Mitao!,” which means Wipe Out Hunger, the Indian American Council was originally founded in September 2017 out of the North Texas Food Bank in Dallas, TX. The IAC surpassed its goal of enabling one million meals for food insecure North Texans in the first seven months after its launch.
“In the spirit of ‘give where you live,’ the Indian American community has enabled more than 4 million meals in North Texas alone in less than two years,” said Raj Asava, IAC co-founder. “And, this amazing community-driven movement has resulted in over 6 million meals across North Texas, Houston and New York City” he added.
“We are confident that compassionate and philanthropic Indian American community in the Washington metro region will galvanize around the Capital Area Food Bank and help enable millions of meals for the Washington region’s food-insecure children, seniors, veterans and vulnerable families,” Anna Asava, co-founder of IAC, said.
Hunger Mitao is a signature campaign of the Indian American Council and is observed during August, the month of India’s Independence Day. The vision is to showcase the unity, philanthropy and spirit of the Indian American community through raising awareness, volunteering, conducting food drives, and making a donation to Capital Area Food Bank.
“We know that when communities come together to tackle big challenges, it’s hugely powerful,” said Capital Area Food Bank president and CEO Radha Muthiah. “We couldn’t be more pleased to see Raj and Anna bring their leadership and track record of impact to our area, and we’re excited to work with the broader Indian American community to make a difference for thousands of our neighbors.”
You can support Hunger Mitao:
- Donate to help end hunger in metro Washington at https://giving.capitalareafoodbank.org/story/Hunger-Mitao-2019
- Volunteer at special Hunger Mitao volunteer sessions in the Capital Area Food Bank’s distribution center on Saturday, August 17, from 9 AM – noon and Tuesday, August 20 from 1 – 4 PM. Interested volunteers should email Sidney Glee sglee@capitalareafoodbank.org directly to sign up.
- Spread the word on social media with the hashtag #hungermitao
About Capital Area Food Bank:
The Capital Area Food Bank works to address hunger today and create brighter futures tomorrow for the nearly half a million people across the region experiencing food insecurity. As the anchor in the area’s hunger relief infrastructure, we provide over 30 million meals to people in need each year by supplying food to 450+ nonprofit organizations, including Martha’s Table, SOME – So Others Might Eat, DC Central Kitchen, Food for Others, Manna, and others. Through these partnerships, the food bank supports 10 percent of our region’s mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and grandparents.
About the Indian American Council:
The Indian American Council was formed to raise awareness, improve engagement, as well as channel resources and contributions of the Indian American community towards the overall mission of a hunger-free United States. In less than two years since its launch, the purely volunteer run Indian American Council has helped enable over 6 million meals for those served by the North Texas Food Bank, Houston Food Bank, and Food Bank for New York City.
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