Creatively connecting assets and faith

This article originally appeared on CNN

“When Gurpreet Singh and other members of the Sikh community in Riverside, California, started to organize efforts to provide food assistance in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Singh figured it would simply be a variation on the work the Riverside Gurdwara had been doing for years."

“Worldwide, Sikh temples, also known as Gurdwaras, offer free meals to anyone who shows up. Known as Langar, it's a tenet of faith and a key part of the Sikh religion, which emphasizes a concept of selfless service to the community at large.”

“At the beginning of 2020, [Vaneet] Singh said he was focused on interfaith outreach, connecting with Christian and Jewish communities in the greater Memphis area.

"Then — boom — coronavirus came along," he said.

“’As a community, we thought, --OK, how can we contribute?--’ he said. It was a question made all the more difficult by the fact that the pandemic meant services in the Gurdwara were suspended.”

Ashoka insight

This article takes us on a journey through different cities in the United States where Sikh Gurdwaras were able to effectively reach a portion of the population that was facing food uncertainty during the coronavirus lockdown. As faith-based organizations and spiritual communities are reimagining ways to utilize already existing assets (and create new), Spiritual Changemakers are assessing their relationships, economic resources, and skills in order to effect large-scale change. As you are defining your strategies for impact, we encourage you to check our Spiritual Changemakers Masterclass.

How are other spiritual communities connecting their assets to the change they want to see?

What is your “guiding star” or the vision of the world that you want to create? How can you connect your existing assets to enabling that vision?