A hint of pride sneaks into Daljit Singh’s matter-of-fact demeanour as he talks about a Sikh truck driver in South Island who had a flat tyre.
“The man who came to fix the vehicle, a local, offered free service. He said the Sikhs helped out so much during the Covid-19 pandemic, he wanted to give some of that love back,” says the spokesperson of Supreme Sikh Society of New Zealand (SSSNZ).
The repair guy isn’t the only one grateful. Last week, the government bestowed on the organisation ‘Covid-19 Response Recognition Award’.
The society, comprising Gurdwara Sri Kalgidhar Sahib Takanini and Gurdwara Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Otahuhu, was also handed a lapel pin by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins for its service in support of the national Covid-19 response.
Established in 1978, the SSSNZ works with the community, people and teams across Aotearoa. It is a pioneer in community initiatives and rises to the occasion every single time, especially during any crisis.
The organisation launched a massive outreach programme during the lockdowns to help the community by way of free meals, Accommodation, Blood Donation, Family support, employment and other services in Auckland and beyond.
“This award is for the Gurughar and to our volunteers (Sangat) for their contribution. I feel humbled by this award, and it certainly would motivate our volunteers to keep doing the great work,” says Daljit Singh.
The organisation held several free food bag drills during the Covid-19 closures. “Thousands of people came in their vehicles to the Takanini Gurudwara premises, and volunteers kept food bags in the rear seat or the boot without the need for them to come in close contact with any passenger,” Singh says.
From the Covid-19 pandemic to now, the SSSNZ has distributed more than 420,000 food parcels and it continues to do so.
“We have been able to do large-scale food parcels because of generous growers and suppliers, and members of the Sikh community,” Singh points out. MSD & NZ Food Network, Tip Top, Food Stuff playing a major role to continue to support the whanau.
“The approximate cost of each food parcel is about NZ$60-70. Each parcel contains enough fresh food for a family for meals for two to three days. It may be noted that most people who came for the food parcels during the lockdowns were not part of the Sikh community. The police also helped a lot in delivering the parcels.”
According to Singh, the good work during the pandemic broke the barriers between communities and enhanced the image of the turban and the Sikh community.
"The contribution of the Sikh community is more than anything. I feel proud that Sikh members tell me that native Whanau thank them for the work the Sikhs have done.”
Singh points out the humanitarian effort transcended religion and communities. Volunteers from other religious places and organisations teamed up to hand out parcels.
He says the SSSNZ faced a few challenges initially, including reaching the right agency to start the process and making people understand why they needed to be in their car and how the process would be contactless.
The SSSNZ has more than 500 registered volunteers and is planning a Matariki event in July with an extensive food drive, particularly for the Maori community.
The organisation also plans to make a primary and intermediate school, where students can choose Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, or their native language of learning, and an elder care home among other dream projects. SSSNZ also runs Language and Music classes and currently has 975 Children enrolled with 30 Teachers. This School was started in 1989 with 5 children.
The society has successfully completed some big projects for the community during the past few years, including an international-standard sporting complex with sports fields and infrastructure, a heritage school that boasts of nearly 1,000 students, and a preschool among others.
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