Indo-American group Club 24 Plus raised over $100,000 to fight food insecurity. (From left) Ashish Agarwal, Mansukh Vaghela, Paul Vo, Gisela Vo, Venu Rao, Elsie Rao, Ashok Garg, Prabha Garg, Manisha Gandhi, Shephali Kadia, Juhi Varma, Vanita Pothuri, Rosh Rajan, Rita Singh, , Rahul Pothuri. / Photo: Paul Vo

Houston-based Indo-American organization, Club 24 Plus, marked July 13—Houston’s own 713 Day, commemorating the city’s iconic area code—with a philanthropic effort, raising more than $100,000 to help combat food insecurity in the region.

Members of Club 24 Plus gathered at the Houston Food Bank’s 308,000-square-foot facility on Portwall Street to celebrate the milestone. Club 24 Plus offered an initial matching fund of $10,000.  Donations soon poured in from regular Houston Food Bank donors and Club 24 Plus members, bringing the total raised to over $100,000.

“Before we knew it, the contributions from regular Houston Food Bank donors started arriving,” said founding member Ashok Garg. “All put together including initial matching fund, we raised a more than $100,000, for Houston Food Bank. Each dollar generates three meals and the total raised funds will provide more than 300,000 meals to families in need.”

Sameera and Ashish Mahendru donated $5,000. “We are grateful to be part of Club 24 Plus and its commitment to service,” said Sameera Mahendru. “The Houston Food Bank is a worthy cause with significant impact on the community and our family has been proud to support HFB through the years.”

In past years, Club 24 Plus has supported various causes with donations ranging from $2,000 to $5,000, Garg said, but this year the organization focused on making a larger, more direct impact in Houston.

 

Rosh Rajan, Shephali Kadia, Sameera Mahendru, Ashish Mahendru, Ashish Agarwal, Rita Singh. / Photo: Paul Vo

Houston Food insecurity 

A majority of the club members expressed a strong interest in tackling food insecurity in Houston, Garg said, leading to the group’s 713 Day collaboration with the Houston Food Bank.

Nearly one million people rely on the Houston Food Bank each year, many of them working families struggling to make ends meet, said Amy Ragan, chief executive officer of the Houston Food Bank.

“The significance of today is that it’s not just about celebrating Houston—it’s about giving back and making this a very special day for the city,” Ragan said, thanking Garg and Club 24 Plus for their 713 Day fundraiser.

 “Thanks to the Houston Food Bank, they transformed the fundraiser at scale into extraordinary success,” said Club 24 Plus member Paul Vo, who donated $500. 

Ragan shared that the Houston Food Bank, the largest in the U.S., distributes 140 million nutritious meals annually across 18 Southeast Texas counties. She encouraged continued community support, noting that federal funding cuts make local contributions like these more critical than ever.

“The support is really needed because we are being impacted by the federal funding cuts-- about $11 million-- we've had to cut staff and it will also affect the commodities that we're going to receive,” she said. “We will be receiving a lot less, and as a result, we will focus more on produce.”

Plans are also underway for a second facility in Northwest Houston, on land donated by Chevron, Ragan said.  In addition to distributing fresh produce, the new center will house partner organizations under the same roof—offering services such as job training, legal aid, health care, and YMCA programs—so families can access multiple resources in one place as they work toward self-sufficiency.

What is Club 24 Plus?

Founded in 2006, Club 24 Plus is known for blending social networking, cultural exchange, and philanthropy. Over the years, it has raised more than $1.2 million for more than 10 charitable organizations including UNICEF, Save-A-Mother, and Ekal Vidyalaya. 

"Contribution to Houston Food Bank is another example of Club24 Plus’s philanthropic activities that has been going on for decades,” said Ashish Agarwal, Club 24 Plus member and founder of the nonprofit Disha USA.  “I am grateful to be part of such an amazing group of individuals." 

“I have a personal feeling that next year, if we do an initial donation of $20,000, we will raise even more,” Garg said. “Because we already have other members who have come on board and including them, next year, will be initiating this matching fund available to Houston Food Bank. It has picked up some wind.”

This latest event at the Houston Food Bank was a salute Houston itself. Holding the meeting on 713 Day was a deliberate nod to the city the members call home, reinforcing the club’s mission of building bridges between the Indo-American community and the greater Houston population.