Premier Dalton McGuinty visited Seva Food Bank on Sunday May 6th to recognize the food bank and local radio stations for raising food and funds for Mississauga food bank clients.
The premier arrived with food donations and toured the food bank with organizers Kulvir Singh Gill and Gurmeet Singh Ahluwalia. He also met with volunteers and employees of the food bank. After the tour, the premier thanked Seva Food Bank and the CJMR 1320 AM radio team, for their efforts in fighting hunter in the GTA. He remarked, “What a wonderful translation of a beautiful tradition, langar. We are inspired by this work and seeing it grow – selfless service speaks to all of us.” He congratulated the radio hosts of CJMR for raising over $100,000 and 61,000 lbs of food for Seva Food Bank in November, and commended their commitment and dedication to serving the community. The premier awarded recognition plaques to Seva Food Bank and CJMR hosts.
MPPs Harinder Takhar (Mississauga—Erindale) and Dipika Damerla (Mississauga East-Cooksville) also showed their support. Mr. Takhar thanked CJMR and remarked that Sikhs in Ontario have done a “super job” of giving back to the community and encouraging Sikh youth to become involved through organizations like Seva Food Bank.
Gurmeet Singh explained that a small group of young Sikh-Canadians wanted to give back to the country but initially weren’t sure how. He said, “We figured we have a built-in solution for how we can contribute, langar. Today, we enjoy providing food for those in need, and collaborating with Mississauga Food Bank to fight hunger together. We’ve been grateful for the support from CJMR and the Sikh community.”
The Seva Food Bank first opened its doors in September 2010 and has grown to distribute over 20,000 pounds of food each month to over 850 registered client families. As part of the Mississauga Food Bank’s city-wide network, it provides safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food across the L5B and L5C postal codes.
View more pictures on our Facebook page.
YOUTUBE: