National, October 30, 2024: Vedanta’s #RunForZeroHunger movement reached a historic milestone by raising 10 million meals for children and animals, through the third edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon (VDHM) 2024. The movement which concluded on October 20, 2024, brought together over 72,000 people from across the country, united in the mission to fight hunger and malnourishment in India.
Through the social impact initiatives of the Anil Agarwal Foundation (AAF), Vedanta pledged one meal for every kilometer run, doubling last year’s achievement through #RunForZeroHunger. This initiative will benefit animals through AAF’s animal welfare project, The Animal Care Organization (TACO), in addition to children across nearly 6,500 Nand Ghars, operating in 14 states across India.
Among the participants 36,000 were Vedanta community members – leadership, CXOs, employees, and partners – who took part across 19 business locations and virtually via the StepSetGo app to boost the meal count. Three months prior to the race day, Vedanta began involving its community of employees, business partners and other stakeholders by hosting workouts, walkathons, mini marathons, etc. to contribute to the #RunForZeroHunger movement, further showcasing the power of sports to mobilize communities and raise awareness for social causes. These efforts went beyond Delhi-NCR and people joined from across India especially from regions where Vedanta’s operations and CSR projects are located such as Udaipur, Barmer, Mumbai, Korba, Goa and more.
Leading up to the race day, community-driven initiatives built powerful momentum for the cause. Milind Soman, an advocate for sustainability and health endeavours, along with radio personality RJ Naved, known to use humour as a means to spread social messages, Army veteran and motivational speaker, Capt. Dharmveer Singh, dog friendly café Bark Street, Delhi-based community platform, SoDelhi, trainers from fitness studio, BoxFit and Delhi Cyclist Club, a group of cycling enthusiasts, encouraged citizens to participate in the #RunForZeroHunger movement. Theirs and several other social cause advocates appeal complimented Vedanta’s efforts in gathering support from a large community that came together for the shared mission of fighting hunger and malnourishment.
Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Non-Executive Director, Vedanta and Chairperson of Hindustan Zinc Ltd. stated, “We witnessed an extraordinary display of determination and unity as people across the globe came together, not just for fitness, but for a cause that resonates with us all. I am glad to have run and am humbled to contribute to the larger dream of combating malnourishment. With every kilometer run, all marathoners added to the number of meals that will be provided for nourishing children and for feeding animals. I am confident that we have created history by raising 10 million meals, this year. Together we have run for zero hunger.”
In previous two years, VDHM raised over 7 million meals to combat child hunger and malnourishment. This year, the goal was raised to 10 million with AAF expanding the #RunForZeroHunger initiative to support animal welfare under the ‘One Health’ approach, emphasizing the interconnected health of humans, animals, and the environment. Through the ‘Meals for All’ initiative, AAF will support animals through its project TACO, making this year’s campaign more inclusive. AAF continues its support for children in in Nand Ghars, a network of modern Anganwadis, where 7.2 million multi-millet bars have been distributed till date, contributing to a significant reduction in Severely and Moderately Acute Malnutrition cases among children.
With VDHM 2024, Vedanta proudly marks its third year of association with the Delhi Half Marathon, continuing its mission to create positive social change through sports and community mobilization. Vedanta looks forward to expanding the #RunForZeroHunger movement across other marathons in India, making strides toward a hunger-free future and demonstrating how sports can drive large-scale impact for social good.
