New York, July 21 :
In a deeply meaningful and long-awaited moment, Varinder Bhalla was conferred the Alumni Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed by Washington State University (WSU), 54 years after graduating from the university and 30 years after being nominated for the prestigious distinction.
Mariah Maki, Executive Director of the WSU Alumni Association, flew in from Washington to personally present the award at an exclusive dinner reception hosted by the university in New York City. The event was attended by members of the New York Chapter of the WSU Alumni Association, including Vice President Meghann Cherzan and Fran Rowley, who graduated alongside Bhalla in the Class of 1971.
The WSU Alumni Achievement Award is a rare distinction - bestowed on fewer than 0.2% of alumni since its inception in 1969. Out of more than 250,000 graduates, fewer than 500 individuals have received this honor in the past century. Notable recipients include Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen.
“In recognition of your outstanding services and humanitarian efforts as Founder and President of the AWB Food Bank, as well as your numerous philanthropic endeavors, we honor your deep compassion and unwavering dedication to the underprivileged,” said Director Maki. “From New Delhi to New York, your commitment to improving lives reflects the highest ideals of service and leadership. With sincere gratitude, the Washington State University Alumni Association proudly bestows upon you its highest honor for exemplifying the spirit, values, and pride of what it means to be a WSU Coug.”
Varinder Bhalla and his wife, Ratna, co-founded the AWB Food Bank in New Delhi, which has delivered nearly 15 million meals to the needy over the past three decades. By collecting surplus food from hotels, airlines, and industrial kitchens, their efforts have become a model of sustainable, scalable, and compassionate solutions to food insecurity.
Although the award is traditionally reserved for WSU alumni, but in a rare and touching gesture, the university also honored Ratna Bhalla for her unwavering support and partnership in her husband’s philanthropic work. She was ceremoniously adopted into the WSU Cougar Family and recognized for her extraordinary commitment with the distinguished status of Honorary WSU Family Member.
In his emotional acceptance remarks, Bhalla said: “I may not have made it back to Pullman to receive this honor all those years ago, but having WSU come all the way to me 50 years later feels like a full-circle moment - one that fills my heart with gratitude and deep emotion.
“Tonight, I dedicate this award to my mother, Agya Wanti Bhalla. As a child, I watched her quietly and consistently feed hungry people in our hometown. Her compassion, her sense of duty, and her unwavering belief in the power of giving left a lifelong impression on me. She planted the seed; I simply helped it grow,” added an emotional Bhalla.”
“Washington State University gave me more than an education - it gave me purpose. This recognition reconnects me with my roots and reminds me that giving back is the truest form of success.”
Last year, Bhalla was also honored with a United States Congressional Award in recognition of his philanthropic service, which, among many, includes traveling to a remote village in Gujarat to donate a motorboat for 125 schoolchildren who previously had to swim across a turbulent river to reach school; donating warm clothes and school supplies to children attending classes in freezing temperatures after their school roof collapsed; inspired by the legacy of his father, Chaman Lal Bhalla, launching an eye camp in his hometown in Punjab, providing free prescription glasses to more than 1,200 individuals who lacked access to vision care; and sponsoring hand pumps for in villages, lacking drinking water. Bhalla also pioneered the first celebration of India’s centuries old Dussehra in the USA, with 50-feet tall effigies in support of the AWB Food Bank, attracting over 50,000 spectators.
Maki reiterated the invitation for Bhalla to return to WSU so “your legacy could be a reminder to the current students that what they learn today can become the foundation for a life of purpose and service.”
(Photo : Varinder Bhalla with family and friends receiving the WSU Alumni Achievement Award from Executive Director Mariah Maki )
