Indo-American Charity Foundation Gives $20K to Houston Food Bank
Last Updated:October 03, 2008

HOUSTON: The Indo-American Charity Foundation presented a check in the amount of $20,000 to Brian Greene, President of the Houston Food Bank on September 25. In attendance at the event were several board members icluding President-elect, Rachel Varghese; Treasurer, Nat Murthy; Pradeep Gokhale; Veena Kaul; and the current president Dr. Mani Subramanian. Joining the Board were past presidents of IACF, namely, Prabha Bala (1998), Leela Krishnamurthy (2002) and Sheela Rao (2005). Priti Singh, past-board member also joined the team. The event was covered by Channel 39 news crew and was included in the 9.00 pm news that evening.

Similar to Emma Lazarus’ immortal words of seeking the tired and the poor, the Indo-American Charity Foundation, (IACF) has been almost silently working to alleviate hunger, homelessness, illness, illiteracy and dysfunctional family situations for the past 20 years. It is fitting that the “tempest-tost” has been added to the list this year with Hurricane Ike.

For the past 20 years, the IACF has been a trusted and effective conduit for the Indian American community to donate funds to programs throughout the city in the areas of hunger, health, homelessness, education and children and family issues. Post Hurricane Ike, the most immediate need in pantries and temporary shelters around the Houston area is food. Since its early days, the IACF has been a strategic partner to the Houston Food Bank in providing relief in the fight against hunger, with donations of money, non-perishable items and time. IACF has donated over $120,000 to the Houston Food Bank and over $2,000,000 to the Greater Houston community. Funds are collected throughout the year from donors in the Indian community as well as several steadfast corporate sponsors and distributed to various to various local charities by a 15 member volunteer board.

Today, the faces of the families in need have changed dramatically. Because of Ike, yesterday’s donors have become today’s recipients. Individuals and families of all socio-economic levels have felt the devastation and the inability to access food. Shelters around the city are being replenished by what the Houston Food Bank is providing them. Through the efforts of the IACF, even the youngest hands in the Indian community have had the experience of bagging rice, knowing that they would go to families in need. With the growing need for food, the funds donated by the IACF will be used by HFB to purchase truckloads of immediate needs for individuals and families throughout the Houston area.

The IACF will hold its annual fundraising gala (postponed due to Hurricane Ike) on November 2 at the J.W. Marriott Hotel. This year, the Foundation is in its 20th year of operation and the theme for the gala is fittingly celebrating the history. The gala is being chaired by Rachel Varghese and Nat Murthy. Rachel has planned this year’s gala with a special touch of elegance to mark the 20th birth day of the organization. As it is a Sunday, the IACF has decided to commence the event with a reception and cocktails starting at 5.30 pm.

The veteran Executive Chef Mr. David Kharat will delight us with a specially designed menu for the guests. A multimedia presentation tracing the IACF journey has been choreographed by Amit Goyal. For the second year, Dr. Shorty Yeaman, who has a Ph.D. in auctioneering, will conduct the auction assisted ably by his son and daughter. The Auction Team will present to the guests three exquisite paintings specially done for this event by Kartik Trivedi, whose paintings can be seen at the White House in Washington and the Buckingham Palace in London. Some of the other exciting items include a beautiful rug that will enhance any home, donated by Samuel and Omana Abraham of Abraham Rugs; diamond jewelry that will put a sparkle in a woman’s eyes, donated by reputable jeweler Nalin Sethi of SB&T Imports. The Board of Directors has assembled several irresistible raffle prizes to awaken the spirit of giving in everyone present at the gala.

For ticket details visit the website www.iacfhouston.org or call Nat Murthy at 832.264.9668 or natesanmurthy@yahoo.com