Indian American NGO Community Seva Opens New Kitchen to Serve Meals to Homeless in Silicon Valley (India West)
Link to Original Article from India West
Community Seva, a non-profit organization founded in 2013 by Indian American Nathan Ganeshan, reached a watershed moment June 2 morning, as local politicians and volunteers gathered to cut the ribbon on a new kitchen in San Jose, Calif., which will serve about 1,200 meals every weekend to the Silicon Valley’s fast-growing homeless population.
California state Assembly member Ash Kalra, along with San Jose City councilmembers Sylvia Arenas and Dan Rocha, were on hand to cut the ribbon. Michele Lew, CEO of Health Trust which granted Community Seva $10,000 to stock its new kitchen; and Subramanian Krishnan, founder and president of Shastha Foods, which sponsored the event, also participated in the ceremony, as a crowd of volunteers cheered them on.
Community Seva was one of 100 non-profit organizations chosen from around the state to be honored in a special ceremony June 6 on the floor of the California state Assembly in Sacramento. Kalra nominated the organization.
Kalra later told India-West: “At the local and state level, we are doing everything we can to increase the supply of affordable housing and transitional housing for our homeless community.”
“However, even if everything goes as planned, it will take years for the supply to meet the demand for those struggling to survive in Silicon Valley,” said the Indian American assemblyman, who formerly served on the San Jose City council.
“Community Seva is like having a group of angels who provide not just nourishment for the body, but love and attention to our homeless community, which is so often cast aside and ignored,” said Kalra.
About 7,500 people are currently homeless in the Silicon Valley, according to data released last year by Santa Clara County. While the numbers of veterans and disabled people who are homeless is decreasing, there was a significant increase in homeless families and youth.
From its new kitchen – located inside a community center in San Jose – Community Seva will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturdays and Sundays to seven homeless shelters. Each meal – known as a Seva – is sponsored by a community member at a cost of $2 to $3 per plate, and cooked by Community Seva’s team of more than 1,500 volunteers. Volunteers and meal sponsors also serve the food at the shelters.
Since its inception five years ago, the organization has served an estimated 65,000 meals. Previously, volunteers would cook at individual shelters and then serve the food. But the kitchen adds efficiency to the process of cooking and distribution, allowing enough food for 200 people to be cooked per meal.
“We are cooking in one place, but serving in many places,” Ganeshan told India-West, adding that he hopes the new kitchen will allow the organization to double its current capacity in the future.
The kitchen is stocked with gleaming utensils, pots and pans, and appliances, including a large capacity rice cooker, refrigerator, and freezer. Previously, volunteers contended with storing large supplies of food at their homes since there was no central location to store it.
The new kitchen has another benefit: teenagers – who are not allowed to cook at homeless shelters because of age restrictions – can cook at the new space; local Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts troops have already signed up to participate, according to Ganeshan.
“Sevas allow people to share their special day with someone who is less fortunate,” said Ganeshan, who has dreams of someday opening a shelter to house the homeless.
The former tech entrepreneur began his service informally; spotting the large number of homeless people at a park in downtown San Jose, Ganeshan started by distributing pizza to them.
The San Jose City Council then invoked a policy which prohibits feeding people in public places. Ganeshan then launched Community Seva to regularly feed people living in homeless shelters.
Saras Venkatram, a long-time volunteer who serves as the executive director of Community Seva, told India-West she was amazed by the progress of the organization. “The Indian community has really stepped up,” she said, adding: “There is the potential for so much more.”
She noted that the boom in the Silicon Valley – one of the wealthiest enclaves in the nation – has pushed out many of its long-term residents. “There are a lot of people living in their cars, but then can’t keep up their payments.”
“We as community members cannot solve homelessness, but we do have the ability to feed,” said Venkatram.
Venkatram’s daughter Varsha coordinates the organization’s youth program, known as Carebag Seva. Young volunteers buy soap, body lotion, toothpaste, tooth brushes, and shampoo in bulk, then pack the items in Ziploc bags to distribute to homeless people on the street. During winter months, the care bags are packed with woolen beanies, gloves, and other supplies to keep people warm in inclement weather.
“I have lived such a privileged life. I go to a great school, I have wonderful parents,” Varsha Venkatram told India-West. “I wanted to give something back.”
“Community Seva has helped me to connect with homeless people, to understand their circumstances and to see how similar we all are,” said Venkatram. “They are grateful and happy for the food and supplies. I can see the results of our work immediately,” she said.
