Sikh community offering free food delivery for those who can’t afford

Manny Sadhra has been a busy man lately.

The president of the local World Sikh Aid Foundation is spending his days delivering meals to keep hunger in Saskatoon at a minimum.

Each day, a group of around 10 volunteers begin preparing meals and after about five hours of taking requests, Sadhra and his team drive and deliver food until the delivery vehicle is empty.

“We think this is the right time,” he said Sunday between a round of deliveries. “People need help.”

The temple is used to hosting crowds of 300 people for a meal each week. With the capacity to prepare food and feed that many mouths, Sadhra said it didn’t take long for food serving to go mobile.

“We decided, ‘Let’s start serving home delivery to who can’t afford food right now, or are off with COVID-19 and can’t go out,” Sadhra said.

The demand increased since the group started delivery at the beginning of April, and has remained steady since with an average of 40 to 50 houses receiving packages every day. On Sundays, demand peaks at anywhere from 70 to 75 houses requesting food.

For Sadhra, his faith is fueling the kind acts happening free of charge.

“You can work hard and help people,” Sadhra said of his religion’s teachings.

International students, people unable to afford groceries, people suffering from disabilities and people isolating from any possibly COVID-19 exposure are all requesting meals.

Sadhra said international students are feeling the sting more and more as the days go on. With increased fees at post-secondary institutions and a cap on working hours each week, some are struggling to find money for groceries.

“It’s really hard to manage everything – for food, for rent and even travelling expenses. Lots of international students are calling us,” he said.

Sadhra hasn’t put a timeline on the deliveries, adding that the group will continue with deliveries throughout the pandemic.

Deliveries can be arranged by reaching out the Sikh Temple Saskatoon on Facebook.