COVID pandemic: US-based Sikh body says it fed over million people

A US-based non-profit Sikh body has said it provided free meals to more than a million people in over half a dozen countries across the world during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Stepping up with Emergency Aid Teams to feed families in need, the UNITED SIKHS said it provided free meals to more than a million people in countries including India, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Australia, the United States and Canada.

In the US, the UNITED SIKHS has provided support in California, Washington, Utah, Maryland and was tapped by New York's Office of Emergency Management to prepare and serve 30,000 meals to New Yorkers at the start of the New York State on Pause Executive Order that led to the eventual New York City quarantine.

In Seattle, one of the first coronavirus hot zones in the US, the UNITED SIKHS activated healthcare professionals; testing residents for the virus and providing services to patients first diagnosed. Days later in Houston, Texas families were vocal in their gratitude, sharing that without groceries provided by UNITED SIKHS, they would go hungry, it said.

In Europe, similar sentiments were heard when food and basic needs were distributed in the United Kingdom. Over 100 loaves of bread along with other essentials were delivered at Russell's Hall Hospital, with the message of, Stay safe and stay in, a media release said.

In Canada, Food Banks were built to provide families and the elderly with groceries and hygienic items.