JERSEY CITY, N.J. /New York Netwire/ — According to Nanak Naam Jahaj Gurudwara, the Sikh community of Jersey City will be providing over 2,000 individuals at local area homeless shelters with hot meals, snacks, and fruits on Saturday, December 1, 2012.
This is being done in celebration of the birth anniversary of the founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak and his establishment of the Sikh institution of Langar, the free community kitchen. Langar can be found at all Gurdwaras, which are Sikh places of worship. There are over 250 Gurdwaras in America, from Massachusetts to Hawaii.
At any Gurdwara you will see that Langar is funded, cooked, and distributed by the Sikh community to all. Visitors are welcome irrespective of race, color, gender, religion, or social status and are served food with dignity and respect. Langar instills the notion of equality and the brotherhood of mankind. For Sikhs the idea of Langar is thought of as a nurturing experience which nourishes body and soul while starving the ego.
Guru Nanak spent time visiting many religions and in the process attracted a number of disciples (the word Sikh means disciple). Religion, he thought, was a bond to unite all humanity together, not to divide it apart. Guru Nanak emphasized that God may be spoken of in many ways through different faiths and in many names but the true way to practice faith is by truthful means which do not hurt or insult members of another faith. Guru Nanak taught the Sikhs that the love of God is the highest goal of humanity and God dwells within all living beings.
The ideas of Guru Nanak carry on today as there are a total of 23.8 million Sikhs in the world and 750,000+ in the United States.
If you wish to volunteer please arrive at Nanak Naam Jahaj Gurudwara, located at 1080 West side Ave., Jersey City, NJ 07306. Organizers have asked volunteers to arrive at 1 p.m. Once Langar has been cooked and packed, there will be 11 teams of about 10 people each going to different homeless shelters in the area.
Here are some of the confirmed locations for Langar on December 1, 2012:
* New Forever USA Housing for Men and Women: 2146 Strauss St, Brooklyn, NY 11212.
* Peace House Inc.: 257 Mt. Prospect Avenue, Newark, NJ 07104
* Hill Top Haven Family Shelter: 36 38 Circle Ave, Paterson, NJ 07522.
On this auspicious occasion, Karnail Singh, President, Nanak Naam Jahaj Gurudwara said, “Guru Nanak showed us the path of peace, harmony and righteousness. His message of Honesty, Humanity, Peace and Equality for all Mankind has timeless relevance and can help in transforming our society.”
Singh wished Happy Holidays to people from all communities and extended an invitation to people of all communities to visit a Gurudwara nearby and share a meal with Sikh community to prosper the brother across various communities.
To learn more about Nanak Naam Jahaj Gurudwara, please visit us at: http://www.nnjgurudwara.com/ .
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