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Meet Anakh Sawhney, who began feeding kids at 9, has helped over 110,000

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Sawhney launched Rice Kids in 2018 at nine years old after volunteering at homeless shelters with her family. While the effort initially concentrated on hot meals, it has broadened into distributing clothing, school supplies, computers, and healthcare support through hundreds of community partners. In India, the charity also trains local women to become educators, successfully returning more than half of its supported students to mainstream schooling.

Key points

  • What began as a local meal-distribution effort has expanded into a multifaceted internati…: What began as a local meal-distribution effort has expanded into a multifaceted international program addressing basic needs and education.
  • Anakh Sawhney was recognized as a 2026 Gloria Barron Prize runner-up and included in The…: Anakh Sawhney was recognized as a 2026 Gloria Barron Prize runner-up and included in The Diana Award's 2026 Roll of Honour.
  • The nonprofit attributes its long-term impact to continuously adjusting its outreach prog…: The nonprofit attributes its long-term impact to continuously adjusting its outreach programs based on direct feedback from families.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Anakh Sawhney was nine years old when she began helping children who did not have enough food to eat. Her effort has since grown into a nonprofit supporting more than 110,000 people across five US states and several regions in India.

Anakh, now 17, founded Rice Kids in 2018 after meeting children at homeless shelters where her family volunteered. Their circumstances made her think about how she could help. She began by focusing on one immediate need: providing food to children who were going hungry.

Over the years, however, her work expanded beyond meals. Rice Kids now focuses on addressing the reasons that keep children from accessing education and other basic support. Its programmes include nutrition, education, health support, school supplies, computers and clothing.

The organisation has also built partnerships with hundreds of shelters, community centres and educational organisations. These partnerships help it reach families and children who need support in different communities.

Anakh's work has also extended to India, where Rice Kids supports children from marginalised communities.

More than half of the students supported by the organisation in India…

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