The second time I participated in feeding the homeless I got to learn things and participate in a type of seva I really wanted to for quite some time. The first time I did this in September it was more of a project and a new learning experience in which we got to explore. We had to know what we were doing and explain it to other members in the community to raise awareness for the sacha sauda meal and collecting clothes.

This Sunday afternoon all volunteers gathered at the West Sacramento Gurdwara to prepare a complete meal to serve to homeless people in downtown.  I was very excited to do this because the first time I did this, it felt great and inspired me to do more.  At the Gurdwara we all split up for different tasks such as making salad, cutting fruit, and cooking pasta. After the meal was prepared, we took it to Downtown. As we got there, this lady who was sleeping on the sidewalk, jumped up and said “ you guys the food people?”  Seeing that excitement on her familiar face felt very heart warming.  She was also wearing the clothes/ suits we donated last time we went. We first set up a table and served there. We all stood in a line serving them from hand sanitizer to food. 

We then walked around the area to, to look out for more people. I got to see where they slept and the conditions they lived throughout.  They all were very thankful even if it was just one meal.  It felt sad seeing them this way, but it felt to me as If I really cared, and that we should do this more often.  Each time I feel we can make a small difference even though it’s not everything but it is something.  Seeing the happiness on their face was a feeling that I personally felt couldn’t be felt in any corner of the world I went to. This experience might not seem that big but it made me think back to the basics of a real normal life, and how in life today we find happiness in materialistic things instead of through other people and being thankful for what we have.

Jit Kaur is a junior at Natomas Pacific Pathways Prep High School in Sacramento. She is an active member of both the Sikh Honor and Service Society and Misl Sacramento.