The Akshaya Patra Foundation has launched Gifts For Moms, Smiles For Children, a Mother’s Day campaign that pays tribute to Mothers worldwide while helping to feed and educate children throughout India. Akshaya Patra is an organization with the vision that no child shall be deprived of education because of hunger. The campaign is a way for people to celebrate their Mother, Grandmother, Sister or Aunt by giving them a gift for Mother’s Day that actually gives back.

“The unfaltering love that a Mother invests into raising her children enhances a person’s life in a myriad of ways. The Gifts for Moms, Smiles for Children campaign is a great way for people to honor those Moms that have made an impact in their lives, by giving a gift with a real impact,” said Madhu Sridhar, President and CEO of Akshaya Patra. “Akshaya Patra’s mission of eradicating hunger and promoting education is based on the vision shared by all Mothers worldwide. $28 is a wonderful gift on behalf of a mother that a donor wishes to honor. A child somewhere will smile.”

Donors to the campaign contribute $28 to Akshaya Patra for each Mother they wish to honor.  Once someone has donated, they can either choose for Akshaya Patra to send an email about their gift to the Mother they are honoring, or they can print out a Mother’s Day letter from Akshaya Patra to place in a card. Akshaya Patra’s midday meal program feeds 1.2 million underserved children daily in 7,000 schools in eight states in India. It costs $28 to feed a child daily for the entire school year.  With an average government subsidy of 50 percent, $28 feeds two children.

For those who wish to purchase a different gift for their Mom while still giving back, they can do so by shopping through CafeGive, a website that brings together hundreds of online stores that donate part of their proceeds to charity. When someone makes a purchase through CafeGive, up to 20 percent of the purchase price is donated to Akshaya Patra by the vendor, at no cost to the consumer. Some of their vendors include Macys, Best Buy, 1-800-Flowers and See’s Candies.

To donate to Gifts for Moms, Smiles for Children, learn more about the One World Cuisine partnership or to shop through CafeGive, please visit http://www.foodforeducation.org.