They serve with love, put needy back on their feet

Seva Food Bank

Delivers Food, Helps Elderly Addict & Ill

This is a bank with a difference. The Seva

Food Bank

in

Canada

's in

Mississauga

, banks on Seva or `selfless service'. Brampton-based Kulvir Singh Gill, board chair and interim volunteer executive director, explains that the bank was opened six years ago in 2010 by a group of second-generation Sikh-Canadians who wanted to “put our Sikh values into action to serve families in need in our own local communities“.

Despite providing 7-10 days worth of food once a month at two locations -Wolfdale and Malton-there are only four staff members.It is volunteer-based, with currently “over 150 active volunteers“. Although Seva may be a Sikh ideal, the overwhelming majority of the volunteers are non-Sikh.They come from all backgrounds, cultures and faiths. Most of the volunteers are also under the age of 25.

The way the unit is set up, it is somewhat similar to a grocery store with individuals and families having a large choice of food.“They are encouraged to bring their own bags. We provide safe, nutritious, culturally-appropriate and acceptable food to families in need. We typically provide 7-10 days worth of perishable and non-perishable food to over 700 families every month. We have large walking fridge freezer units in each of our two locations so that we're also able to serve a lot of fresh produce, milk, juice and frozen items to our clients,“ says Gill.

The Seva Food Bank's new home delivery service has helped in extending its reach to those in need. “Like most food banks, if someone requires food, they have to come to our locations. However, for some individuals that is impossible because of their health, physical condition or mental health. So to serve these most at-risk vulnerable clients, we have decided to launch a small home delivery program to bring groceries to their doorstep each month,“ explains Gill.

Much like the team, the individuals and families that the bank f e e d e ve r y month are also a diverse mix. “More than 30% of our clients are children and we are seeing an increase in the number of seniors. In addition to food, we also connect them to other services that help address the real reasons why they are going hungry, like employment, job training, health, family issues, addiction, mental health, and domestic violence. Our goal is to be a safety net and springboard for families in need to catch them when they've fallen, but also help them get back on their feet.We have many clients who have become volunteers and even donors to Seva.“