A religious celebration has prompted Edmonton’s Sikh community to give back by raising food and monetary donations for Edmonton’s Food Bank.
The community unveiled a cheque for just over $50,000, signed by Edmonton’s Sikh community in partnership with My Radio 580. They have raised funds for the food bank for approximately 20 years.
“The food bank is playing a very important role in our society and in our city to help all kinds of people,” Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib spokesperson Kuldip Chana explained.
The fundraising initiative kicked off in mid-November at the newly opened Gurdwara Dukh Nivaran Sahib located near 66th Street Southwest and 4th Avenue Southwest.
The community celebrated the 555th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism, on Nov. 15.
“In his teaching, Guru Nanak Dev Ji reminds us to help those in need, to be selfless, to live with honesty,” Chana said.
Tamisan Bencz-Knight, the manager of strategic relationships and partnerships with Edmonton’s Food Bank, said the organization relies heavily on these fundraisers now more than ever.
This October, the organization hit an all-time high demand for its hamper program, serving more than 47,000 people.
The last record the food bank shattered was six months ago, when the charity fed 43,000 people.
“Those are the wrong kind of records to beat,” Bencz-Knight said.
“We’re almost breaking even. We are able to keep up. But if we start seeing more increases, more need, that’s where we’re going to have different conversations in the new year.”
For more, see the video at the top of this story.