DALLAS (TIP): With a rally cry of “Hunger Mitao” -meaning wipe out hunger- the North Texas Food Bank’s Indian American Council (NTFB-IAC) has quickly mobilized and engaged the Indian-American community through issue awareness, increasing volunteerism and raising critical funds to benefit the mission of the NTFB. In less than two years the Council has helped provide access to more than 4 million meals. Fueled by a passionate Indian American community, the group originally planned to provide support for one million meals annually. Thanks to an outpouring of support the group exceeded their year goal in a mere 7 months and now in their second year, has shown no signs of slowing down.

In celebration of India’s Independence Day, the NTFB-IAC is launching the Second Annual Hunger Mitao Week, their signature campaign which works to showcase the unity, philanthropy and spirit of the Indian-American community by conducting peanut butter and fund for food drives all over the region served by the North Texas Food Bank. The week will conclude with a special volunteer shift on August 17 while the call for peanut butter donations continues throughout the month of August.

“It is gratifying to see how much the IAC has grown in two short years,” said Raj Asava, co-founder of the NTFB-IAC alongside his wife, Aradhana “Anna” Asava. “We have known this community to be compassionate and generous problem solvers, but to see the momentum that started in North Texas translate into a major national-level movement is thrilling.

The NTFB-IAC is the original Indian American Council that was created to benefit Feeding America Member Food Banks. Thanks to the success in North Texas, the concept is now being replicated in other US cities including Houston, New York City, Atlanta, Seattle, New Jersey, and Washington DC.

“When we launched the IAC in North Texas, we were confident that the community would galvanize around the issue of hunger,” said Anna Asava, NTFB-IAC co-founder. “What we couldn’t have predicted is how quickly the movement would grow and how dedicated the community is to fighting hunger; it truly is all about the spirit of ‘give where you live.’”

As the NTFB-IAC works to plan for the next 4 million meals, those that have benefitted the most from their efforts are the people facing food insecurity in North Texas.

“Hunger is a complex issue, and it takes a community to ensure that we have the resources in place to feed those that need our help,” said Trisha Cunningham, President and CEO of the North Texas Food Bank. “The Asavas and each of the families and companies that make up the NTFB-IAC have played a critical role in ensuring our neighbors have the foods that they need to thrive.  We can’t thank them enough for their efforts to provide 4 million meals in less than two years and can’t wait to see what the next two years will bring for this tenacious group!”

To find out more about Hunger Mitao Week and how to get involved with the NTFB-IAC visit ntfb.org/iac

About the North Texas Food Bank

The North Texas Food Bank(NTFB) is a top-ranked nonprofit hunger-relief organization operating a state-of-the-art volunteer and distribution center in Plano—the Perot Family Campus. Last year, the Food Bank worked hard in partnership with member agencies from our Feeding Network to provide access to almost 77 million nutritious meals across a diverse 13-county service area—this means more than 200,000 meals per day for hungry children, seniors and families. But the need for hunger relief in North Texas is complex, in order to meet the need, the NTFB is working to increase our food distribution efforts with a goal of providing access to 92 million nutritious meals annually by 2025.

NTFB is a member of Feeding America, a national hunger-relief organization.

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.

(Source: Globe News Service)