1 / 42 Jersey City's Sikh community provided free meals to thousands of needy people in its annual "Let's Share a Meal" event on Nov. 19-20, 2016. Volunteers prepared the food at the Nanak Naam Jahaj Gurudwara temple at 1080 West Side Ave. in Jersey City. Jonathan Lin | The Jersey Journal - Click above to see more pics.
November 21, 2016: Jersey City's Sikh community provided free meals to thousands of needy people in its annual "Let's Share a Meal" event.
Scores of volunteers from the Sikh community came together Saturday morning at the Nanak Naam Jahaj Gurudwara temple at 1080 West Side Ave. to cook, package and deliver the meals.
Organizer Onkar Singh said the two-day event would see hundreds of volunteers preparing thousands of meals to be delivered fresh to shelters and other locations in the region.
Singh estimated that roughly $25,000 worth of food will be distributed by the end of the event, with much of it paid for through donations.
"Let's Share A Meal" was inspired by the life and teachings of the founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak, who started the concept of "Langar," or community kitchen.
"Langar was designed to uphold the principle of equality where everyone could eat food irrespective of his creed, castle, religion or sex," information posted at the event explained.
The Hudson County jail in Kearny, the Bethune Center in Jersey City and the Coalition for the Homeless in New York were among the dozens of facilities that have received or will be receiving deliveries.