Over the group’s signature Hunger Lunch of beans, rice and cornbread, Nourish International presented its first Impact Award to UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp.
The group honored Thorp and co-founder Sindhura Citineni on Feb. 12 as part of the celebration of its 10th anniversary. Thorp was recognized for his work with innovation and student entrepreneurs.
“Buck Goldstein and I were so impressed with Nourish that we used it in our book, ‘Engines of Innovation,’” Thorp said. “It’s why universities are the ideal institution for tackling big problems: bringing talented people together and creating the environment for them to excel. I knew that Carolina’s faculty and students had the talent and the dedication to take on these challenges, and I knew that because of projects like Sindhura’s Hunger Lunch and Nourish International.”
Nourish International began at UNC as Hunger Lunch, founded by students Citenini and Joel Thomas in 2003. The students sold an inexpensive meal of rice, beans and cornbread and used the profits to fund a nutrition initiative in Hyderabad, India. Since then, the nonprofit organization has spread to 25 countries and 28 universities to launch social businesses, called ventures, and invest the profits in community-based, sustainable development projects. Nourish has deployed more than $300,000 in venture profits on 65 projects in 25 countries, with plans to expand to 45 chapters this year.
Published February 14, 2013.