Guru Nanak Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) supports The Welcome Centre with a £6,000 donation.

The local Sikh community at the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Huddersfield has made several generous donations to The Welcome Centre foodbank to support local people during the Covid 19 pandemic.

The Gurdwara based in Springwood, regularly serves vegetarian meals for their congregation however due to the closure of the Gurdwara during lockdown, the committee members and congregation wanted to find a way to support those struggling in the community.

Balbir Singh Uppal (member of the Sikh congregation) said

We wanted to provide food for those in need and originally wanted to cook meals, however due to the guidance in place from government and Sikh institutions this wasn’t possible. So we decided to donate funds to a local charity that was already doing great work in our community and could partner with us.

Receiving £6000 donation from Sikh Community

A number of local charities were considered including Food for Heroes, which was set up to support NHS staff during lockdown, however members from the Gurdwara felt The Welcome Centre, who they had supported previously, would be able to provide the much needed meals directly to those in need.

The Welcome Centre food bank which has been open for more than 20 years, was one of the few frontline services to remain open throughout the pandemic in Huddersfield. They continued to provide thousands of people in financial crisis with essential food and toiletries by creating a delivery service in partnership with Kirklees Council and Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing.

The Guru Nanak Gurdwara committee asked their congregation for financial donations, initially planning to offer £500 per week for 5 weeks to support the work of The Welcome Centre.

Harjinder Singh Johal, General Secretary of the Gurdwara said

When we initially asked for support from our congregation we were hoping to donate about £2,500, however donations kept coming in. We were overwhelmed with how much money was donated and this has meant we’ve so far donated £5,000 with a further £1,000 cheque donated today.

Emma Greenough, Fundraising Manager at The Welcome Centre said

The generous weekly donations we received were used to buy vegetarian meals in accordance with Sikh culture. Each week we have used the £500 to buy items such as tinned meals, pulses, soups and fruit to put in to the hundreds of packs we give out. During 2020, our generous community has shown its dedication to those in our community who are struggling. To receive £6,000 from our friends at Guru Nanak Gurdwara has been a huge help and we are truly grateful to everyone within the Sikh community that has stepped in to help us.

Between April and July, The Welcome Centre food bank provided the equivalent of 104,900 meals to adults and children in the South Kirklees community facing financial difficulties due to job loss, homelessness, mental or physical health, domestic violence and more.

Kundan Singh Aujla, President of the Gurdwara quoted

The management of Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Huddersfield would like to thank everyone at The Welcome Centre for providing the services they do and hope they continue to provide this much needed service.

About Guru Nanak Gurdwara

Gura Nanak Gurdwara is a place of worship for the Sikh community at Prospect Street, Springwood, Huddersfield. To find out more or to contact them visit https://www.facebook.com/gurunanakgurdwara.huddersfield