Xmas Food Service: Jersey City, NJ
The Sathya Sai Center of Jersey City celebrated Christmas and served a Mexican meal for more than 120 homeless and needy individuals at the First Presbyterian Church, Passaic, NJ on Saturday, Dec 21, 2019. More than 20 volunteers showed up to serve, including Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) children, Young Adults (YA) and adult Center members.
Sai volunteers arrived at 9.00 a.m. and began meal preparation which took almost two and half hours to complete. After the food was prepared, they offered a food prayer and began to serve the delicious lunch comprised of salad, chili beans, Mexican rice, garlic toasted bread, cookies, muffins and bananas. Iced tea and hot coffee were also provided.
Volunteers brought Christmas gifts for each of the homeless guests. The gifts included shirts for men, mufflers for women and age-appropriate toys for children. Sai volunteers also donated gently used warm winter jackets for those who needed them. The gifts were received with much gratitude, and volunteers were profusely thanked by the guests for their generosity.
The SSE children and the YAs entertained all present with several popular Christmas carols, which added to the Christmas cheer and lifted everyone’s spirits. Many of the homeless guests joined in and sang along, clapping their hands or swaying their arms in the air. A very joyous feeling seemed to permeate the room. The Sai Center members felt very blessed to witness the happiness in the faces of their guests, and were deeply gratified to the Lord for the wonderful opportunity to be His instrument in this service.