According to Times of India “ In the wake of the outbreak of coronavirus (Covid-19), groups of Sikh diaspora have changed the method of serving langar (free food from community kitchen) to those in need in Australia, Canada and the UK.
Groups are delivering food at doorsteps of those who need help. In Australia, the service is already on in Melbourne and a few parts of Adelaide.
Sikh Volunteers Australia (SVA) started the service on March 18 and will coninue it till April 1 in South East Melbourne. “The elderly, sick and homeless and the needy are the most vulnerable during these times…The service is for people who are in self-isolation in Melbourne’s South East,” said a spokesperson.
The group has, on its website, prepared a poster giving the names of around 10 localities where people could order langar by 12pm daily and the food would be delivered by 6-8pm. On Wednesday, SVA said it received 200 calls on the first day of the service and they delivered 310 meals. On Thursday they delivered nearly 400 meals.
In Melbourne’s north, Khalsa Foundation and Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Cragieirburn have started similar service for those in isolation, while giving a list of 10 areas where they would provide service. Dal Baba Bidhi Chand Ji Khalsa Chhauni Gurdwara, Plumpton, Melbourne has started a similar service in close to a dozen areas in the north west of Melbourne. They said they would continue the service till further notice, while also continuing langar service at the gurdwara with extra care and safety.
The Sikh community in Adelaide has started a free tiffin service for needy students as langars at most gurdwaras have been closed as a safety measure. The gurdwara at Allenby Gardens has announced that needy students could collect the langar, as it would not be served. Miri Piri Gurdwara in Melbourne has also said it would help international students.
With services shutting down in Canada too, Sikhi Awareness Foundation (SAF) with the help of Sikhs in British Columbia, has launched a food-delivery service for free with the help of local restaurants in Surrey, Delta, Vancouver, Tsawwassen and Ladner cities in British Columbia.
It will deliver dinner to at-risk populations, including the elderly, single mothers with young children and domestic abuse victims. These three categories have been set as eligibility criteria. SAF has said the service would continue till March 31 and could be extended. It also urged people that as Vaisakhi nagar kirtans have already been cancelled, they could consider making a donation for the cause.
In Canada, Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Delta, Surrey, and Dashmesh Cultural Centre, Calgary, have started helplines to answer queries on Covid-19 to spread awareness about social distancing and other measures.
Birmingham-based Midland Langar Sewa Society (MLSS), which has already earned a lot of praise for serving hot meals to the homeless in Birmingham, has announced that its teams would reach out to those who are isolated themselves throughout UK.
In the US, Khalsa Aid has announced to help deliver groceries and essentials to senior citizens who are in isolation due to Covid-19. The service has been launched in Northern California, New York City, North New Jersey, Milwaukee and a few other areas.
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