Between the months of August 25^th and November 23rd, 2018 members from the Sri Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Toronto-York collected over 140 lunch bags, reusable water bottles and containers for the school age children at the Women’s Shelter in Brampton.  The Ladies Wing has a long-standing volunteer partnership for over ten years with the Salvation Army-Honey Church Family Life Resource Centre in Brampton. Every month we do basic manicures and pedicures for the women, play games with the children and enjoy a simple lunch together with the sole intention of fostering the spirit of community. Staff at the shelter sometimes share with us that some families need certain supplies. We use the opportunity to try and support them. This year, we learnt that children at the shelter did not have proper lunch boxes for school. They often carry their food in plastic grocery bags which makes them self-conscious about eating with their peers at school.

In consultation with the staff at the shelter, it was determined that approximately 100 lunch boxes would be needed to ensure that each child passing through the shelter this year gets one. Our goal was to collect 108 lunch bags by Swami’s Birthday. We started collecting lunch bags in August 2018 and soon this became a project that brought everyone at the Centre together. It was an opportunity to practice sharing together and an opportunity to put one’s own personal desires to the side and collect lunch bags for the children at the shelter. With Swami’s Grace, participation of all the members of the Centre, especially the SSE children, we collected over 140 lunch bags plus reusable water bottles and lunch containers.

Test line

The project brought everyone together as one Sai family and gave us an opportunity to practice “ceiling on our own desires” and reach out to our sisters at the shelter to help recognize our shared sisterhood with them. On our last visit on December 5, 2018, we were given a lovely card that the kids at the shelter made for everyone who helped provide the lunch bags. The love expressed in this card showed us that we had received much more than the lunch bags and other material that we had given.