Sewa4Community–New Jersey, an Indic collective of more than 40 Dharma and Sewa organizations, has raised more than $30,000 in donations for various COVID-19 related relief efforts.
So far, Sewa4Community has donated $23,000 to various food pantries and soup kitchens in New Jersey, including Elijah’s Promise; North Brunswick Township High School; food pantries in Monroe, Hightstown, Plainsboro, Parsippany, Bordentown and Morristown; and MCFOODS (Middlesex County Food Organization and Outreach Distribution Services).
Around 150 volunteers from the Tri-State Area are working to sew masks, procure N95 masks and other personal protective equipment, and connect with medical centers in need, according to information provided by Rajesh Sharma, Central Jersey coordinator for Sewa International. So far, 6,500 masks and 85,000 gloves have been donated to various hospitals including Lantern Medical Center, Holy Name Medical Center, Jersey Shore Medical Center, CentraState Medical Center, UMDNJ, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and JFK Medical Center.
Along with these efforts, Sewa4Community has coordinated and executed the following efforts:
- Delivering groceries to senior citizens and families in need
- Delivering groceries to COVID-19 patients
- Delivering handmade masks from Sewa International’s Mask Making Mission Design
- Rehabilitation of international students and helping coordinate grocery delivery and accommodation
- Coordination of plasma donors with needs and doctors
- Handling and solving calls that come through helplines of Sewa International
- Providing meals to doctors and hospitals in the Tri-State Area and EMS/EMT/police/fire departments
- Providing medical help for patients by connecting them with doctors in Sewa’s network
- Providing information on various arrangements e.g., funeral, travel etc.
“We need to support the food pantries and medical centers who serve our communities, enabling them to have the necessary resources to meet the rising demand,” Sharma said in the statement.
Minal Sapre, service coordinator from HSS USA, mentioned that teenage volunteers are doing their part by collecting food to provide meals to EMS/EMT workers in their townships.
“This is very impressive that even teenagers have come together to join hands during this pandemic to serve the community,” she said in the statement.
Due to restrictions and social distancing, the fundraiser was mainly executed through Facebook. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/donate/543555082960402/
For more details, visit Sewa4Community at www.sewa4community.org/
