Duwara Consciousness Foundation Partners with GAP and Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps to Provide Showers for Hurricane Victims in Green Mountain NC
When a tall-bodied figure with a turban, beard, and face rimmed by dark-framed eyeglasses, shows up at a disaster area looking like a guardian angel, it might just be Davinder Singh of the Duwara Consciousness Foundation (DCF) with his shower trailer. Davinder however tells his donors,
“We can do what we do because of you. Without you, we wouldn’t be here.”
Asheville Area Hard Hit by Hurricane Helene
Hurricane Helene made landfall on September 26, 2024. Buncombe County NC, one of the hardest hit areas of the state, initially reported a staggering 72 deaths, more than half of North Carolina’s tragic death toll which numbers 130. Fortunately, by some miracle, Asheville later reported overcounting deaths and reduced the number by 30. A month later many people are still without power and potable water especially in rural areas like Green Mountain in Yancy County, as most of the aid is going to cities with concentrated populations.
SEVA ~ Shower Empowering Valuing All
Davinder Singh decided to show the victims of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina,
“What Sikhs can do.”
He left San Diego California towing the DCF shower trailer embellished with the acrostic motto Shower Empowering Valuing All. The trailer had been packed with items donated by the San Diego Community. Davinder drove for four days to reach North Carolina. He hauled the shower trailer through rugged terrain to Green Mountain about seven miles north of Burnsville located between Black Mountain and Ashville in Yancy County NC. Along the way he saw many tragic examples of the after effects of hurricane Helene. Upon reaching the small rural community of Green Mountain long after dark, Davinder Singh found utter devastation in places. All the infrastructure is down. One entire side of the road, and everything that had been there, had been washed away by the flooding river. The bridge that once crossed the river lay in pieces along either bank. Buildings are flattened, others like a gas station and former business are completely demolished, nothing remains but rubble. Houses and businesses, still standing on the far side of the river, are entirely cut off. Many people have literally lost everything but the clothes on their backs. Many people, including pregnant mothers about to deliver, have nowhere to go.
Davinder Singh told Sikhnet,
“Only a handful of businesses are running. A gas station is open, it has not raised its prices. One Thai restaurant is open where people can get a meal.”
Davinder Singh arrived on location around 1:00 am Friday, October 18, 2024, and set up the DCF shower trailer. It is rigged with six regular showers, one ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant shower, and two washer-dryer units. The shower trailer will remain on site for about four to six months serving both hurricane victims and relief workers.
DCF Partners with GAP to Provide Showers and Food
DCF is partnered with GAP, the Grassroots Aid Partnership at the disaster relief site. David Bronner, the grandson of Emanuel Bronner, and the top Cosmic Engagement Officer (CEO) of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, and Amanda Krause are also present at the disaster relief site and are among those who are staunch and active champions of GAP. DCF and Gap are working side by side with retired military Green Berets and the National Guard to aid rural people neglected by state and federal programs assisting only heavily populated areas. Gap has provided a Food Trailer at the disaster relief site. Besides meals, it offers Dr. Bronner’s Chocolates and Nutrition bars. The showers are supplied with Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps.
The area being serviced by DCF has no power and no potable water. By the time Davinder Singh arrived, the local authorities had bypassed the storm flood-damaged filtration system to pipe water directly from the source.
Davinder Singh told Sikhnet,
“The pipe goes directly into the reservoir. The water coming out is brown and is only suitable for flushing toilets. It cannot be used for drinking cooking, washing hands, or showering. People have not had showers for three weeks. Clean water is provided by the state. GAP picks up and delivers the ‘totes,’ [5000-gallon squat, square heavy-duty plastic water pods encased in a metal grid]. These are hooked up to the shower trailer and the food trailer. Water is pumped by a generator. About 10 to 50 people a day use the showers, and the laundry units run continuously. It is costly to purchase the Gas and Diesel fuel needed to haul the water and run the generator to pump it to the food and shower trailers. DCF and GAP rely on donations to cover costs. Kristen Allen, the East Coast Sales Director for Dr. Bronner’s, has opened her house in Asheville to DCF and GAP people, that is where we sleep. During the day, I keep the shower trailer tanks filled with water and help wash dishes at the GAP Food Trailer.”
Duwara Consciousness Foundation
The Duwara Consciousness Foundation (DCF) is 501(c)(3) Federally Tax Exempt with the Internal Revenue Service, FEIN 82-6648770. Founded in 2017 by Davinder Singh, and his wife Hari Simran Kaur, DCF is a “No Profits from Non-Profits” charity organization based in Oceanside near San Diego California. DCF exists to serve those neglected by society, to give them a voice, to give them shelter and sustenance, and a way forward in life.
Davinder Singh told Sikhnet,
“DCF has a shower trailer and a free food trailer based on the concept of Langar. During the 2020 COVID lockdown era, DCF served 600 healthy plant-based foods and salads daily. During that time, DCF supplied over 14,000 showers in Skid Row and washed 7,000 loads of laundry. Donations ran out in early 2024 and the shower trailer had not been in use until he got the call from GAP to come to North Carolina. DCF had partnered with GAP and Bronner’s about three years earlier when requested to bring the shower trailer to Burning Man, a unique experience he is not eager to repeat, though he has the utmost respect for both GAP and Bronner’s.”
DCF is a donor-based independent non-profit, not affiliated with any Gurdwara or Government funding. Operating independently has made it possible for DCF to help the rural community in North Carolina overlooked by government assistance, and is an example of why DCF opts to remain independent. San Diego donors from the Punjabi community made it possible to deliver necessities like toothbrushes, toothpaste, and clothing to NC.
What is next for DCF?
DCF has purchased 120 acres of farmland in Sandiego for a Land Project to implement permaculture practices, establish an animal sanctuary, create a co-op with farmers, offer a work exchange program, and supply tiny home housing with a community kitchen.
