HFA honours Indian-American couple for anti-hunger initiative

Indian-American philanthropist couple Aradhana Asava and Raj Asava were recently honoured by Hunger Free America (HFA) at its annual gala in Manhattan. The couple was recognised for mobilising the Indian American community in an effort to end hunger through the HungerMitao movement in the United States.

The founders of the HungerMitao campaign provide food security for food-challenged individuals and families, by galvanizing the community in support of domestic anti-hunger charities. Since 2017, their initiative has enabled more than 50 million nutritious meals for food-challenged individuals and families. During the pandemic, they expandedthe model to the Chinese and Hispanic American communities and supported them in the fight against hunger.

Praising the Asavas, CEO of Hunger Free America Joel Berg said, “At a time when more than 35 million Americans are facing food insecurity and pandemic-era food benefits have been rolled back, our mission to end hunger in this country has never been more important. I am particularly inspired by the work of Anna & Raj Asava, so it is a particular joy to honour them and the entire Indian American community.”

Indian Consul General in New York, Randhir Jaiswal attended the Hunger Free America gala and congratulated honorees Raj and Aradhana Asava for their contribution to food security through the HungerMitao campaign. On receiving the honour,  Raj said,  “Anna and I accept this award on behalf of the four million strong Indian diasporas in the US, who, in the spirit of ‘give where you live’, enabled over 50 million nutritious meals for food insecure individuals and families across America.”

Texas residents, the India-born couple after serving in leadership roles in various firms for decades decided to give back to society by addressing the important issue of food security with a community participation model. The couple’s philanthropic instincts led to the creation of theHungerMitao movement.