Daljit Singh Jawa was upset about news reports out of India in 198 6 that depicted members of the Sikh religion as terrorists.
Not sure what he could do to combat the negative reports, Jawa remembered Guru Nanak who founded Sikhism about 500 years ago.
“The first thing he did,” Jawa said, “was use the money which his father had given him to feed the hungry.”
Heartened by that example, Jawa and a group of other Sikhs designated Sikhs Serving America began a program designed to feed the hungry in Topeka.
Not long after Sikhs Serving America started its meal program, it concluded that most food needs were being met by already existing agencies.
“But we’ve found out their medicine needs were not being met,” Jawa said. “People could go to the doctor, but they didn’t have money to buy medicine.”
The group’s focus changed: From now on, it would work with the Topeka Shawnee County Health Agency to provide medicine for needy people.
That was two years ago. Since then, the program started by Sikhs Serving America has helped 5 62 people buy medicine at a cost of about $ 6,000 $200 a month.
Jawa said a local dentist who wished to remain anonymous now underwrites the medicine program.
That freed the Sikhs to begin looking at other areas in which people’s needs were not being meant.
Jawa, who is a civil engineer for the Kansas Water Office, said recent news reports about cutbacks in the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services budget prompted the group to see if it could lend assistance to that state agency.
Jawa said Sikhs for America approached SRS, requesting permission to help the agency provide needed goods or services for deserving people who otherwise would have to go without because of the limited SRS budget.
The program proposed by the Sikhs would kick into action after SRS had exhausted its existing programs and found that it could not help the individuals with their genuine needs,
Sikhs Serving America then would attempt to help the applicants without regard to age, color, race, religion or sex.
The program will begin by assisting applicants with a maximum of $100 a month, $50 per individual.
Jawa said he hoped other organizations would set up their own programs or help the Sikhs expand their programs.
For more information on the program call Jawa at 2 670222.
( Topeka Journal)
Article extracted from this publication >> May 11, 1990
