Akshaya Patra Foundation USA Inaugural Walkathon: 13 Cities Will Set Out Aug. 16 to Feed Schoolchildren in India

Registration is free and open for Walk to Feed Millions of Dreams, a national walkathon by Akshaya Patra Foundation USA on India's Independence Day weekend.

FREMONT, CA, UNITED STATES, August 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- FREMONT, Calif., Aug. 6, 2026 - The Akshaya Patra Foundation USA will hold its inaugural Walk to Feed Millions of Dreams, a one-day walkathon taking place in 13 cities across the United States on Sunday, Aug. 16. Every dollar raised funds school meals for children in India.

The timing is deliberate. Aug. 16 falls on India's Independence Day weekend, and walkers from Seattle to Miami will set out the same morning. Routes run two to three miles through a local park and are built to be walkable for all ages. Many of the walkers emigrated from India themselves, and the morning gives them a direct way to give back to children in the country where they grew up. Families from across the 13 participating communities plan to join and walk because a child going without lunch is reason enough.

The meal is what gets a child through the door. A hot lunch draws a student who might otherwise be sent out to work, and the lessons follow once the child is in the room. Every school day, Akshaya Patra cooks and serves 2.35 million of those meals, the largest operation of its kind run by a nongovernmental organization anywhere in the world. The cost of keeping one child fed for an entire school year is $20, or about nine cents a meal.

"Independence means very little to a child who is too hungry to sit through a lesson," said Navin Goel, chief executive officer of The Akshaya Patra Foundation USA. "That is why we walk on this particular weekend. Hundreds of families will spend a Sunday morning in a park or on a local trail, and children half a world away will eat because of it."

Capgemini and the Chetu Foundation are national presenting sponsors of the walkathon.

Registration is free and open now at www.apusa.org/walkathon. Walkers can sign up by joining a team in one of the cities listed below, then build a personal fundraising page and ask friends, family, and coworkers to give. Walkers who raise $250 receive a walkathon T-shirt, and those who raise $1,000 are recognized across the organization's social media.

Walk locations and start times, all local:

Austin, TX. Elizabeth Milburn Park, 1901 Sun Chase Blvd, Cedar Park, TX 78613. 7:30 a.m.

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX. Windhaven Meadows Park, 5400 Windhaven Pkwy, Plano, TX 75093. 8 a.m.

Houston, TX. Bear Creek Pioneers Park, Pavilion 6, 3535 War Memorial St, Houston, TX 77084. 8 a.m.

Chicago, IL. Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, 3S580 Naperville Road, Wheaton, IL 60189. 8 a.m.

Minnesota. Hyland Park, 10145 Bush Lake Rd, Bloomington, MN 55438. 8 a.m.

Nashville, TN. 1001 Kirkpark Ct, Nolensville, TN 37135. 8 a.m.

Philadelphia, PA. Grange Park Pavilion 6, 30 Lone Ln, Allentown, PA 18104. 8 a.m.

Tampa and West Florida. Al Lopez Park, Shelter 315, 4810 N Himes Ave, Tampa, FL 33614. 8 a.m.

San Diego, CA. Torrey Meadows Neighborhood Park, 13499 Torrey Meadows Dr, San Diego, CA 92129. 8:30 a.m.

Bay Area, CA. Vasona Lake County Park, 333 Blossom Hill Rd, Los Gatos, CA 95032. 8:30 a.m.

Miami and South Florida. Markham Park, MK Shelter, 16001 W State Road 84, Sunrise, FL 33326. 8:30 a.m.

Seattle, WA. Big Finn Hill Park, 8106 NE 138th St, Kirkland, WA 98034. 9 a.m.

Los Angeles, CA. Don Knabe Community Regional Park, 19700 Bloomfield Ave, Cerritos, CA 90703. 10 a.m.

About The Akshaya Patra Foundation USA

The Akshaya Patra Foundation USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the world's largest school meal program run by a nongovernmental organization. Working through its partner in India, Akshaya Patra serves freshly cooked, nutritious meals to more than 2.35 million children in more than 23,000 schools every school day, reaching 16 states and three union territories. The meal draws children into the classroom and keeps them there, removing hunger as a barrier to education. A gift of $20 covers a child's meals for an entire school year. The organization holds a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. For more information, visit apusa.org.

Media Contact
Neil Mehta, VP, Marketing, Digital and Comms
The Akshaya Patra Foundation USA
Phone: +1 (781) 438-3090
Email: neil@apusa.org
Website: https://www.apusa.org

Neil Mehta
The Akshaya Patra Foundation USA
+ +1 781-438-3090
marketing@apusa.org
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
TikTok
X