Robert Vadra Supports World Food Movement’s Student Meal Program in New Jersey

By Deepak Arora

EDISON (New Jersey), Oct 8: World Food Movement (WFM), a U.S.-based nonprofit working to expand access to nutritious meals for students and food-insecure communities, conducted a student meal program at Essex County College in New Jersey on Tuesday.

As part of the program, entrepreneur and philanthropist Robert Vadra served meals to students and interacted with members of the college community, bringing attention to the importance of food access and nutrition support for students pursuing their education.

World Food Movement was established in 2025 to provide food assistance to students and communities across the United States. The organization was inspired by the experience of the Akshaya Patra Foundation and has drawn on more than 25 years of experience in large-scale meal service to develop its programs in the United States.

Since its inception, WFM had served more than 70,000 meals to students and food-insecure individuals across communities in New Jersey, New York, San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Dallas and Washington, D.C.

The Essex County College program provided students with fresh, nutritious meals while creating an opportunity for interaction and conversation around the challenges faced by students experiencing food insecurity.

“When students had access to a nutritious meal, they could focus more fully on their education and future. The program at Essex County College reflected our commitment to supporting students and communities through access to nutritious food,” said Naveena Neerada Dasa, Executive Director – Strategy and International Relations, World Food Movement.

During the visit, Robert Vadra accompanied by community leader Rajender Dichpally served meals to students and interacted with them. He said, “Serving food is one of the best things we can do. Seeing students smile and knowing that a meal can give them the energy to move forward was truly meaningful to me. I’m happy to be part of World Food Movement, and I’ll help out as much as I can wherever I go.”

Dr. Augustine A. Boakye, President of Essex County College, said, “There are many barriers between a student and a college degree, and food is one of them. By removing that barrier, this program is helping students move forward toward their degrees. That is truly amazing to us, and we really appreciate it. Today, this may be a small project, but in a very short time, students who have benefited from this program will be able to say, ‘Because of this program, I was able to finish my degree.’”

World Food Movement had established meal-serving initiatives in several U.S. communities and had been working to expand its reach to additional locations. The organization had set a goal of serving 1 million meals in the United States by 2030.

The organization’s programs had particularly focused on students at community colleges and on food-insecure individuals, with the aim of helping people pursue their education and daily lives without the added burden of worrying about their next meal.

The October 6 program at Essex County College was part of WFM’s broader effort to build awareness around food insecurity and expand community-based access to nutritious meals.