By Mei Leng Wong | NZ GARDENER |
I was not prepared for the odd feeling of homecoming I felt when I drove through the gates of the Sikh temple grounds in the south Auckland suburb of Takanini, roughly 30km from the city centre.
I am not of the Sikh faith, and was not quite sure what to expect when I went to see their community garden.
We had heard vague reports of volunteers planting acres of vegetables and fruits to feed thousands, and projects to share knowledge about food production and sustainability. There was talk of working with offenders and educators, and helping the needy.
It all sounded idealistic, yet complicated, so I had to see it for myself. It turns out that the Sikh Temple Gurudwara Sri Kalgidhar Sahib Takanini & Otahuhu does all that and more.
They do feed thousands of people (specifically, an average of 300 on weekdays, 1000 on Saturdays and 2000 on Sundays).
No, you don’t have to be Sikh. You don’t have to pray at the temple. You don’t even have to pay for the food.
“We welcome everyone and we don’t ask where you come from or what you do,” says Supreme Sikh Society of New Zealand spokesperson Daljit Singh.
Read full story, Sikh temple community garden growing food to share, here.
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(Asia Samachar, 11 Dec 2018)
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