DELHI: Renowned ultra-marathoner Dharmendra Kumar is on a cross-country charity run to promote the cause of Hunger-Free India and spread smiles of nourishment. On his way back to Punjab, Dharma passed through Delhi on the eve of the World Hunger Day to engage with supporters of The Akshaya Patra Foundation’s cause.
As of today, Dharma, as he is popularly known, has covered a distance of 2,500 km on foot, alternating between running and walking covering close to 75 km a day. He began his run on Sunday, 17th March, 2019, from Sultanpur Lodhi in Punjab. The run is planned in in two phases. In the first phase, he has covered major towns of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, Bengal, and Odisha. Through this charity run, Dharma has so far raised funds to feed 1 Lakh meals.
He aims to feed 5 Lakh meals to Akshaya Patra beneficiaries in 15,024 schools across 12 States in India. The second phase will start on 3rd June passing through the major towns of South India, covering more than 5,000 km over a period of 3 months.
Dharma said, “I was surprised at the severity of the hunger crisis in India. With so many people unable to afford a square meal, I think this is one problem that needs immediate attention. Akshaya Patra is doing a good job serving food to children. Even Gurudwarasare known for langars and how they feed so many people every day. Drawing parallels from this, I thought it would be an apt cause to associate with.” He further added, “I hope people across the world and especially India will donate generously to this cause.”
Sundeep Talwar, Chief-Marketing Officer – The Akshaya Patra Foundation, said “We are glad to associate with Mr Kumar to spread the word on hunger free India and encourage young and skilled individuals to support our cause.”
