Annapoorna Devi - The Mother Goddess of Food
Annapurne sadapurne SankaraPranavallabhe gyanavairagya siddhyartham bhiksham dehi ca Parvati
Annapurna Devi, Goddess of Plenty, you are Lord Shiva’s eternal Consort, give us alms together with wisdom.
Annapurna Devi, Goddess of Plenty, you are Lord Shiva’s eternal Consort, give us alms together with wisdom.
Letter of Appeal from our Executive Director
Dear Divine and Respected supporter of Hindॐs Against Hunger,
Born in a small village in South India, I was fortunate enough to grow up around loving and caring parents and grandparents who raised me whole heartedly. Moreover, every time I visit my grandmother, she would feed me to no end. Not only does she feed me more than I can ever ask for but she feeds me with her own hand.
Many times I think back to these moments by my loved ones and think of how lucky I am. How lucky I am to have someone cook various meals for me, have the option of deciding the ingredients, and to eat a five-course meal with a great sense of satisfaction-belly full. Unfortunately, not many have the same opportunity that I have. This is why we, my friends and community, have decided to start Hindॐs Against Hunger.
Hindॐs Against Hunger is a volunteer community that focuses on bringing back the concept of "AnnaDānam" - food/rice donation. In Hinduism Anna Dāna is known as Maha Dāna- the highest charity. It is an essential part of Sanatana Dharma. Food is the basic requirement for all living beings, not just humans. The entire universe depends on energy or Shakti to drive it and the source for that Shakti is food. In Hinduism, donating food in any form, is considered more than attaining Moksha or Liberation from the cycle of Life and Death. Donating food separates one from all pain and suffering in life.
Living in the United States, we are often blind to the poverty in our own back yard. Even though the richest country in the world, there is poverty in the United States as well. Especially when it comes to hunger. Below are some facts from No Kid Hungry:
To tackle this real American issue, I ask you to join me to fight the issue head on. You can help us in two ways: one by becoming a volunteer, and two by donating, Sponsor a Meal.
Being a Connecticut native and having many friends in the area, we looked to our nearest cities to fight hunger. Currently we are serving in Harlem (116th street and Adam Clayton Blvd.), Manhattan from 6-7pm every Wednesday and serve close to 500-800 meals weekly.
The goal of Hindॐs Against Hunger is to not just bring food to the needy but to mobilize and unite Americans of all backgrounds along with the Hindu-American community. In the process, engage in interfaith dialogue and build bridges. As our civilization progresses in many facets, there are still many Americans that go to bed with their stomachs empty. We must never forget to feed our neighbor, especially the neighbor in need, irrespective of religion, caste, creed and race. I appeal to you to join us, in whatever way you can, in our efforts to stand united and serve.
Sincerely,
Sai Santosh Kolluru
Volunteer of Hindॐs Against Hunger
Gaja turaga Sahasram Gokulam koti danam
Kanaka Rajatha patram Methini sagarantham
Upaya kula vishuttam Koti kanya pradanam
Nahi nahi bahu danam Annadanam samanam
Translation:
"Annadānam, the feeding of hungry, is far superior to donating 1000 elephants and horses, donating 10 million cows, donating any number of vessels of silver and gold, donating the entire land till sea, offering the entire services of the clan."
Born in a small village in South India, I was fortunate enough to grow up around loving and caring parents and grandparents who raised me whole heartedly. Moreover, every time I visit my grandmother, she would feed me to no end. Not only does she feed me more than I can ever ask for but she feeds me with her own hand.
Many times I think back to these moments by my loved ones and think of how lucky I am. How lucky I am to have someone cook various meals for me, have the option of deciding the ingredients, and to eat a five-course meal with a great sense of satisfaction-belly full. Unfortunately, not many have the same opportunity that I have. This is why we, my friends and community, have decided to start Hindॐs Against Hunger.
Hindॐs Against Hunger is a volunteer community that focuses on bringing back the concept of "AnnaDānam" - food/rice donation. In Hinduism Anna Dāna is known as Maha Dāna- the highest charity. It is an essential part of Sanatana Dharma. Food is the basic requirement for all living beings, not just humans. The entire universe depends on energy or Shakti to drive it and the source for that Shakti is food. In Hinduism, donating food in any form, is considered more than attaining Moksha or Liberation from the cycle of Life and Death. Donating food separates one from all pain and suffering in life.
Living in the United States, we are often blind to the poverty in our own back yard. Even though the richest country in the world, there is poverty in the United States as well. Especially when it comes to hunger. Below are some facts from No Kid Hungry:
- 48.8 million Americans—including 16.2 million children— live in households that lack the means to get enough nutritious food on a regular basis. As a result, they struggle with hunger at some time during the year.
- Food insecurity—the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe food— exists in 17.2 million households in America, 3.9 million of them with children.
- Food insecurity is most common in large cities but still exists in rural areas, suburbs and other outlying areas around large cities
- 25 % of households with children living in large cities are food-insecure.
- The typical (median) food-secure household spent 27 percent more for food than the typical food-insecure household of the same size and composition.
- 59% of food-insecure households reported that in the previous month they had participated in one or more of the three largest federal food and nutrition assistance programs: SNAP (formerly food stamps), School Lunch and WIC.
To tackle this real American issue, I ask you to join me to fight the issue head on. You can help us in two ways: one by becoming a volunteer, and two by donating, Sponsor a Meal.
Being a Connecticut native and having many friends in the area, we looked to our nearest cities to fight hunger. Currently we are serving in Harlem (116th street and Adam Clayton Blvd.), Manhattan from 6-7pm every Wednesday and serve close to 500-800 meals weekly.
The goal of Hindॐs Against Hunger is to not just bring food to the needy but to mobilize and unite Americans of all backgrounds along with the Hindu-American community. In the process, engage in interfaith dialogue and build bridges. As our civilization progresses in many facets, there are still many Americans that go to bed with their stomachs empty. We must never forget to feed our neighbor, especially the neighbor in need, irrespective of religion, caste, creed and race. I appeal to you to join us, in whatever way you can, in our efforts to stand united and serve.
Sincerely,
Sai Santosh Kolluru
Volunteer of Hindॐs Against Hunger
Gaja turaga Sahasram Gokulam koti danam
Kanaka Rajatha patram Methini sagarantham
Upaya kula vishuttam Koti kanya pradanam
Nahi nahi bahu danam Annadanam samanam
Translation:
"Annadānam, the feeding of hungry, is far superior to donating 1000 elephants and horses, donating 10 million cows, donating any number of vessels of silver and gold, donating the entire land till sea, offering the entire services of the clan."
Copyright 2018 Hindॐs Against Hunger