Burritos for the Homeless: Hollywood, CA
The weekly Burritos Project by the Sri Sathya Sai Center of Hollywood, CA was started about ten years ago. It is a part of the joint feeding service by the Sri Sathya Sai Centers in the greater Los Angeles area for the homeless in downtown LA.
For ten years, every Saturday, a group of about eight Sai volunteers gather at the home of a member of the Holly wood Sai Center at 9 a.m. to make fresh healthy burritos for the homeless. They wrap cooked rice, beans and spice in tortillas and encase the burritos in aluminum foil to keep them warm. In total, they make 108 burritos. Essential ingredients like beans and rice are generously donated by Sai Center members. The project is usually completed by 10.30 am.
A Sai volunteer delivers the burritos to a specific homeless feeding area in downtown Los Angeles. The burritos are then distributed to the homeless community, along with several items brought by volunteers from other Sai centers - sandwiches, bananas, donuts, other snacks, ice-cream and drinks. The homeless individuals are thankful for the food, expressing their gratitude with a simple "God bless you."
The Hollywood Sai Center members feel very humbled and gratified for the opportunity to serve - to get together every week to joyously prepare the burritos, knowing the home-cooked warm burritos will be greatly enjoyed by their homeless brothers and sisters on the streets.