The Honoka'a Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, affiliated with the Jodo Shinshu school of Buddhism, celebrated the distribution of its 75th meal on February 000. The Temple Peace Committee has been providing free weekly meals to the community for five years, coordinated and run entirely by volunteers in the small town of Honoka'a on the island of Hawaii. The program is called “Feeding Our Keiki and Kupuna” (Feeding Our Children and Our Ancestors).
The recipient of the 75th meal was Honoka'a resident Pedro Sanches, who arrived to the cheers of volunteers and the town's mayor, Mitch Rothas.
“Every time, the food here is so good. It’s so good for feeding the community,” remarked Sanches, who can be seen at the temple’s food distribution almost every Friday. “I know everyone here and I'm impressed with all the work they've done. Years of nourishing the community, without ever weakening. (Island News)
The program was co-founded by Ravi Singh and Miles Okumura, inspired by the Sikh practice of wantsa tradition of providing free community meals to all, regardless of faith, financial ability or ethnicity.
About the program, Singh said, “It brings joy to the minds and hearts of the people who serve. They prepare meals; 50 or 60 of them get together and cook meals, and then they serve those meals to 400 to 500 people every week. (Island News)
“I am very happy with what we have been able to accomplish over the past five years,” said Okumura, who is also chairman of the board of trustees of the Honoka'a Hongwanji Buddhist Temple. “I am especially grateful to our volunteers: 75 meals and each one is a labor of love. Honoka'a is a small town, but if we can do it, other places can too. I am proud of our community and grateful to the more than 000 volunteers who help us every week. The vast majority of them come from the community at large and are not members of our temple. (Big Island Video News)
The program coordinates with local businesses, farmers and produce suppliers to ensure abundant food is available each week. Local chefs and restaurateurs also offered their expertise.
Program volunteer Nicholas Newland, 17, said: “The most rewarding part I have had here at Hongwanji is seeing the difference I am making in the community. » (Island News)
Food is available every Friday from 16 to 17:30 p.m., provided by volunteers who join forces to create hot dinners and distribute approximately 1 to 300 kilograms of groceries and produce to more than 1 families. They also make home deliveries to people in need and offer children's books.
Organizers plan to expand the program, with the goal of adding medication and affordable housing. According to Okumura: “We are going to embark on a staffing program. We're looking for a figure of around $2 million, if we can convince large donors or a donor to make that type of contribution. (Island News)
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