Every January, the Sri Sathya Sai Center of Fairfax organizes a winter care package service project, purchasing blankets, coats, and socks for unhoused individuals in Washington, D.C.’s parks and shelters. However, this year, a unique opportunity was presented. The Center partnered with Affordable Homes and Communities (AHC), an Arlington, VA-based nonprofit, to create a ‘Welcome Kit’ for new tenants moving into affordable apartments. These kits included essential household supplies such as cleaning products, toilet paper, paper towels, a plunger, and shower curtains. The Fairfax Sai Center committed to assembling up to 150 kits. Supported by volunteers, AHC suggested delivering the kits to the newly opened Allium Place community in Silver Spring, MD, a 195-unit building providing safe and stable housing primarily for recent immigrants and those experiencing homelessness.
On January 26, AHC Volunteer Coordinator Ms. Millie Landis joined the Center before their regular devotional session. SSE children actively participated in packing the items and created handwritten ‘Welcome Home’ cards with loving messages for each kit. During the Center’s announcements, Ms. Landis spoke about the significance of the donation for the families moving into Allium Place. Later, a group of dedicated Sai volunteers transported the kits to Silver Spring, nearly an hour away.
In a subsequent thank-you letter to the Sai Center, Ms. Landis expressed gratitude, stating, “Let me begin with a heartfelt thank you to your incredible community. I was truly blown away yesterday by the Sai Center’s efficiency, generosity, spirit of collaboration, dedication to service, and overall genuine community bond. I was especially impressed with the kids’ ability to jump in and help, as well as the extra commitment and dedication of the drivers who came all the way to Silver Spring to deliver the bags. It is evident how authentic the Sai Center’s mission towards social justice is. We are so lucky to have partnered with you on this project. On a personal note, I also really appreciate your welcoming me for the entire Center experience; I found the devotional singing and students’ testimonies quite moving.“
Ms. Chitra Kumar, the project lead, remarked, “We are delighted that through this service activity, the Center can offer support to vulnerable individuals in an entirely new way. In the coming months, the Fairfax service team will explore other ways that Sai volunteers can serve the members of that community”.
For more information about this activity or activities in your country or region, please contact info@sathyasai.org and include a link to this page.
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