Supporting Our Local Community and the Communities of India During COVID-19 (2020)

In early 2020, a global pandemic brought the world to a standstill. Offices closed their doors, people were told to stay home, and many individuals lost their jobs. This left vulnerable people across the world with little access to money, food and essential supplies. 

For the first time in the charity’s history, we organized a local relief effort to supply the vulnerable within our community with daily meals and essential supplies for children. Via contactless delivery, we were able to serve single mothers, victims of domestic abuse, elderly citizens living alone, international students, and those who were out of work as a result of COVID-19.

Beyond our local relief efforts, we also continued to honour our commitments in India too. We provided Sikligar communities and families within our sponsorship program with much needed aid during the country’s nationwide lockdown.

Our Efforts by the Numbers

In Canada, 

• Over 8 weeks of food aid and essential supplies for those in need
• 400+ people served across the Lower Mainland on a daily basis
• More than 50% of those supported were young children
• Over 90% of people served were non-Sikh residents of BC

In India, the following received food aid

• 41 Families in Vadodara, Gujarat 
• 60 Families in Pachori, Madhya Pradesh
• 20 Families in Miryalaguda, Hyderabad
• 40 Families in Surat, Gujarat
• 26 Families in Satvas, Madhya Pradesh
• 4 Families in Bagali, Madhya Pradesh
• 10 Families in Kalapatha, Madhya Pradesh
• 55 Families in Akash Nagar, Madhya Pradesh
• 60 Families in Jammu and Kashmir

We also supported all families in need that were enrolled on our sponsorship program

Incredible Sevadars

Without our volunteers both in Canada and India, we would not have been able to reach as many people as we did. They helped package and organize food, they drove to locations to drop off food via contactless delivery, and they followed all the necessary precautions to keep themselves and others safe.