Dear Donor,

Would you believe me if I told you a meal – simple, warm, hearty – can actually help forge a human bond among rank strangers? Well, if you’re skeptical, you should probably drop by the Ark Aid Street Mission building in London, Ontario on the third Saturday of any month to witness the phenomenon in person. To be honest, third Saturdays almost always turn out to be a bit of a bustle for us UNITED SIKHS volunteers as we prepare and serve dinner to over 250 of the downtown neighborhood’s homeless and underprivileged persons. There’s usually no time to converse or strike up an acquaintance. But the mind’s eye preserves pictures of those eager faces and eyes brimming with gratitude, reminding me constantly of the oneness of the fractious family that is humanity.

More than 250 people from the downtown neighborhood are served a hot meal, the third Saturday of every month

When I first arrived in Canada as a starry-eyed young woman, I wanted to work hard and make a worthy contribution to the country I had chosen to call my new home. Two decades and countless struggles later, I cannot help but feel that God has been immensely kind. What better way to repay that grace and kindness than to serve those who live on the margins without a kernel of self-interest?

When I first arrived in Canada as a starry-eyed young woman, I wanted to work hard and make a worthy contribution to the country I had chosen to call my new home. Two decades and countless struggles later, I cannot help but feel that God has been immensely kind. What better way to repay that grace and kindness than to serve those who live on the margins without a kernel of self-interest?

The sewa has taught me that the joy of giving is far greater than the joy of taking 

This little act of leading and becoming part of the UNITED SIKHS’ monthly langar sewa or soup kitchen initiative allows me to abide by the tenets of my faith. Pragmatically speaking, it also helps me set an example for my children, practicing the sort of values I’d like to inculcate in them. While there is joy in receiving, this simple yet profoundly spiritual activity has taught me that the joy of giving far outweighs the former.

Young UNITED SIKHS volunteers who help serve the food

If anyone randomly walked into the dining area, it’d be easy to generalize the people present as poor and needy; probably even homeless. The jaded eyes, sad mouths, despondent countenance, scruffy clothing, and general air of despair – the identity markers are the same everywhere. But I recognize several regular faces by now; familiar people I know as individuals, not indistinguishable from the gathering. The alacrity with which they dig into their food, their half smiles and grateful eyes – none of it is ever lost on me.

Warm, freshly cooked ethnic Indian meals are served along with a juice box, a fruit, chips, and a dessert

The langar sewa serves as an opportunity to show how we – even as immigrants – are givers, not takers.

It may only be a meal, but…who knows? It may be the only one for that day for someone there. While for everyone else, this time of the year means Christmas and New Year celebrations, for a lot of them, it’s nothing at all, except that most people around them are happier, merrier, and not alone.

That’s me, Gurmeet Kaur!

It is the kindness of people like you that keeps this service running. And I want it to keep running. I know YOU also want it to keep going. So, will you help me in my endeavor to rekindle faith in humanity? To continue dishing out many more meals – and so much love – to those who live on crumbs of kindness like these?

Work like this routinely goes on in Kenya, Pakistan, USA, India and France. Send some love, not charity, this festive season, won’t you?

Lots of love & gratitude,

Gurmeet Kaur, Volunteer, UNITED SIKHS

Jasleen Kaur

UNITED SIKHS

Recognizing The Human Race As One