Contributor: Manasi Ganga Devi Dasi
“This is absolutely delicious!” said Jim, looking up and smiling, as he happily savored the steaming hot prasadam meal of subji, rice and dal. Just seeing the joy on the faces of the dozens of recipients of the Lord’s mercy in the form of Krishna prasadam is well worth the efforts of the ISKCON of New Jersey Shelter Cooking Team. This initiative was started about two years ago in an effort to share the spiritual good fortune of prasadam with the less fortunate among us.
Devotees sponsor and purchase the ingredients, transport it to the shelter location in Morris Plains, cook at their facility and personally assist in distributing hot meals to the homeless. About 45 to 50 people come to have these meals, and many express their amazement with it. “How is it that this tastes so delicious?” asked one regular.
“We prepare it with love for God and offer prayers to God to bless this food”, we explain. In speaking to some of the attendees, we learned that many have endured severe difficulties such as domestic violence, family breakups, troubled relationships, and they are very grateful for these hot, nutritious meals that are both satisfying and uplifting. They see the devotees working hard and express their gratitude for the efforts. Some of them ask deep questions about the nature of the spiritual service that the ISKCON volunteers are performing, and the devotees are happy to answer.
All the devotee volunteers who have participated in this service have expressed how joyful and spiritually fulfilling it is to be able to distribute the divine mercy of the Lord and be part of this growing effort to serve the community. Srila Prabhupada had expressed that no one should go hungry within a few miles of our temples, and this initiative is being done in an effort to work toward fulfilling this divine vision.
The project is led by:
Priyadarshini Mataji
Manasi Ganga Mataji
Radharani Mataji
There have also been several local volunteers who come to help out whenever they can and are serving with enthusiasm and compassion.
Hare Krishna!
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