US-India school nutrition drive: Share Our Strength reaches 600,000 kids
Synopsis
US anti-hunger group Share Our Strength has quietly reached 600,000 Indian schoolchildren with 30 million meals in under three years — and is now incubating a dedicated global arm called Strength Global to scale that work further. The Washington dinner that surfaced this signals a meaningful deepening of India-US philanthropic collaboration on child nutrition.
Key Takeaways
Share Our Strength has reached 600,000 children in India with 30 million meals in roughly two and a half to three years .
The organisation plans to incubate Strength Global , a new international-focused entity, over the next 18 months .
One World One Family Mission's Annapoorna Breakfast Programme serves over 10 million school children across 150,000 schools in 25 states and 4 Union Territories .
The initiative was announced at a 'Purposeful Private Dinner' in Washington on 20 May .
Leaders called child hunger a 'solvable problem' requiring joint action from governments, businesses and civil society.
A new cross-border partnership between US anti-hunger organisation Share Our Strength and India-focused humanitarian groups is seeking to expand school nutrition programmes across India and other developing nations, with leaders on both sides describing child hunger as a 'solvable problem' that demands global collaboration and sustained government engagement. The initiative was spotlighted on 20 May at a 'Purposeful Private Dinner' hosted in Washington by Share Our Strength and the One World One Family Mission.
Scale of Reach So Far
Share Our Strength founder and executive chair Billy Shore told attendees that the organisation had already made significant inroads in India. 'So to date, we have reach about 600,000 kids in India with 30 million meals, I believe. And just in the last two and a half, three years by doing this work,' Shore said. He added that the organisation had moved well beyond small grants, now building a broader India network through culinary events, strategic partnerships and policy advocacy.
Shore cited India's policy environment as a key reason for the focus. 'One of the reasons why we chose India to work in primarily is because government supports school meals. There's a growing strong culinary industry. It's a strong economy,' he said.
Key Voices at the Washington Dinner
The gathering brought together Sri Madhusudan Sai, founder of the One World One Family Mission; Rahul Vinod, co-founder of Indian restaurant chain RASA DC; and award-winning chef Erik Bruner-Yang of Maketto. Philanthropists, chefs, entrepreneurs and social sector leaders participated in discussions centred on tackling morning hunger among school-going children.
Sai, described as an Indian spiritual leader and former banker, argued that hunger could only be eliminated through a convergence of government, business and civil society. 'I truly believe it's not the government who should make this happen. It is not a huge organisation that make it happen. It is people who can make this happen,' he said. He framed hunger and inequality as consequences of 'human selfishness' and called for 'incremental good' from individuals and institutions alike. 'Every day a little more good than the previous day. The incremental good is my measure of success,' Sai said.
Strength Global: A New International Entity in the Works
A significant announcement from the dinner was Share Our Strength's plan to incubate a new international-facing organisation over the next 18 months. 'Share our strength is going to incubate over the next 18 months, a sister organisation we're gonna call it Strength Global,' Shore said. The new entity will concentrate on India and international partnerships, while Share Our Strength continues its domestic anti-hunger work in the United States. This structural move signals a deliberate scaling of the organisation's global ambitions beyond its flagship 'No Kid Hungry' campaign.
One World One Family Mission: Footprint and Ambition
According to event materials, the One World One Family Mission operates integrated nutrition, healthcare and education programmes across 100 countries. Its Annapoorna Breakfast Programme serves free morning nutrition to more than 10 million school children across India, covering over 150,000 schools in 25 states and four Union Territories. Sai also urged Share Our Strength leaders to engage directly with Indian state governments to further scale school meal programmes. 'I would want you to join us in talking to the state governments in India,' he said.
Broader India-US Philanthropy Ties
Share Our Strength was founded in 1984 in response to the Ethiopian famine and is best known in the US for its 'No Kid Hungry' campaign. The Washington dinner reflects a deepening of India-US engagement in philanthropy, nutrition and social impact — notable at a time when food insecurity and child malnutrition remain pressing global concerns despite economic growth in many countries. Analysts note that India's existing midday meal infrastructure makes it a natural partner for internationally funded nutrition scale-ups. How quickly Strength Global can operationalise and attract government buy-in across Indian states will be the defining test of this partnership's ambitions.
Point of View
Not merely rhetorical, commitment to India. Yet the real bottleneck has never been philanthropic intent; it has been state government buy-in and last-mile delivery. India's midday meal programme, despite its scale, has faced persistent quality and attendance gaps. Whether a US-anchored international entity can navigate India's federal complexity — 25 states, four Union Territories, each with distinct political priorities — is the question this dinner left unanswered. The 30-million-meals figure is meaningful, but against India's estimated 120 million food-insecure children, it underscores how much further the partnership must travel.
NationPress
10 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the new US-India school nutrition partnership about?
It is a collaboration between US anti-hunger organisation Share Our Strength and India-focused One World One Family Mission to expand school meal programmes across India and other developing nations. The partnership was publicly highlighted at a Washington dinner on 20 May, where leaders described child hunger as a solvable problem requiring coordinated government and civil society action.
How many children has Share Our Strength reached in India so far?
Share Our Strength has reached approximately 600,000 children in India with around 30 million meals, according to founder Billy Shore, achieved over roughly two and a half to three years of operations.
What is Strength Global and when will it launch?
Strength Global is a new international-focused sister organisation that Share Our Strength plans to incubate over the next 18 months. It will concentrate on India and global partnerships while Share Our Strength continues its domestic US anti-hunger work.
What is the Annapoorna Breakfast Programme?
The Annapoorna Breakfast Programme is run by the One World One Family Mission and provides free morning nutrition to more than 10 million school children across India. It covers over 150,000 schools in 25 states and four Union Territories.
Why did Share Our Strength choose India as a priority country?
Billy Shore cited India's existing government support for school meals, a growing culinary industry, and a strong economy as the primary reasons for prioritising India. These factors make it easier to build scalable partnerships and leverage public infrastructure for nutrition delivery.
