More than 300 people filled the Bombay Palace on Friday night to show their support for the Seva Food Bank in its fight against hunger and poverty. The food bank hosted its first fundraising dinner, The Seva Spark, and raised more than $15,000 to support their ongoing operations.
“In each of the seven months that we’ve been open, the Seva Food Bank has seen a steady increase in the number of client families that we serve,” commented dinner organizer Gurmeet Singh Ahluwalia. “We’re delighted to see such an outpouring of support from the community. The money raised tonight allows us to really focus our efforts on taking care of these families.”
Since opening its doors in September 2010, the Seva Food Bank has distributed over 100,000 pounds of food to over 400 families in need from the L5B and L5C postal codes of Mississauga.
Mr. Ahluwalia and Navtej Kaur Mudhar were the masters of ceremonies for the event. The evening featured a maculele Afro-Brazilian dance by Axe Capoeira and a performance by the I Rock With The One dance group. Chris Hatch, the Executive Director of the Mississauga Food Bank, also spoke to the audience remarking on the tremendous partnership that they have established with the Seva Food Bank.
Dignitaries attending the event included Mississauga City Councillor George Carlson, former councillor Carolyn Parish, MPP Vic Dhillon and new MP Parm Gill.
The Seva Food Bank is an initiative of Sikhs Serving Canada, a registered not-for-profit organization whose mission is to positively impact local communities by acting on the basic Sikh tenets of sarbat da bhalla (the well being of all) and seva (selfless service).