Interfaith Encounters Day 5

Our morning began bright and early at Philabundance.

Philabundance was created in 1984 with the simple belief that no man, woman or child should go hungry. Its growth and eventual integration with the Philadelphia Food Bank in 2005 has made Philabundance the region’s largest hunger relief organization. They are now able to address hunger through direct service programs and a network of 500 member agencies, as well as contribute to a broad spectrum of social services through food cupboards, emergency kitchens, shelters, daycare and senior centers and beyond.

Philabundance implements both emergency relief and also long-term strategies to strengthen the hunger safety net. There is no quick fix, but the organization [with the help of donors, organizers, and volunteers] seeks to create innovative programs and support to agencies that make nutritious food accessible to all.

We spent our morning in the freezer! I’m not kidding; it was cold.

We also met up with students and their leaders from both Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia.

In fact, we worked so hard [and so fast] that we became blurry.

Day 5 Part II: Workshop on Advocacy

Once we slowed down and thawed out, we headed back to Haverford College for lunch and then a workshop with Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger.

Julie Zaebst, Policy Center Manager, led us in a workshop about advocacy related to food security.

Julie directs the Coalition’s advocacy agenda and works with local state, and federal advocates and government officials on policy initiatives to reduce hunger in the Philadelphia region.

First off, she shared with us various ideas about how advocacy can look in regards to helping those who do not have adequate access to proper nutrition.

Then, Julie asked us to move around the room according to our perspectives about the effectiveness of government policy; lobbying local, state, and federal politicians [i.e. SNAP and other hunger-related policies]; and our attitudes about how we can or cannot make a difference.

It was interesting to see the wide variety of opinions in the room.

We then split up into small groups and tackled some case studies related to advocacy.
For sure, there are no easy answers. At the very least, though, I think each one of us gained some insight into our own perspectives about how to best care for and stand with those who do not have access to food.

This issue affects everyone.

Day 5 Part III: Samarpan Hindu Encounter

In the evening, we experienced the wonderful hospitality of the people who are part of Samarpan Hindu Temple.

We were greeted warmly by Dipak Patel and brought into the temple setting to learn about the practice of Hinduism, the Deities, and the various symbols all around us.

Dipak, two priests, and other members of Samarpan’s community were very generous with their time as they shared their perspectives about Hindu and Jain practice–both historically and today.

The Deities represented at Samarpan are:

Ganesh
Mahavir Swami
Shiv-Parvati
Radha-Krishna
Durga Ma
Ram Darbar
Hanumanji

One of the major misconceptions about Hindus is that they worship many, many gods. In fact, as Dipak shared, Hindus believe in one eternal consciousness. The Deities represent the many, many forms of this Consciousness [referred to by others as God].

After this time of learning, the two priests led us in some singing of songs for worship. The cymbals, drum, bells, conch shell, and voices echoed through the temple. It was joyous and celebratory music.

Afterwards, we had some more time for Q&A. There were some great questions! Mina Patel also shared about her practice as a Hindu and emphasized that the Vedas [scriptures] promote the equality of men and women.