Political rivals eyeing the Jersey City mayoral seat set aside their differences this week to join hands with the Sikh community for a shared cause of feeding 10,000 people in need.
The event, held at the Nanak Naam Jahaj Gurudwara, was part of the long-running “Let’s Share a Meal” campaign, a food drive rooted in the Sikh tradition of seva, or selfless service, a press release from the organization said.
County Commissioner William O’Dea, former Governor of New Jersey James E. McGreevey, former Board of Education President Mussab Ali, Councilman Richard Boggiano, and community leaders came together to cook, pack, and distribute hot meals.
William O’Dea announced he will be moving to declare April as Sikh Awareness Month.
“I’ll be sponsoring a resolution before the County Board of Commissioners naming this April Sikh Awareness Month. So if you have a chance, 567 Pavonia Avenue, 4:30, we’ll have Sikh Awareness Month,” O’Dea is quoted saying in the press release.
Mussab Ali, who is also running for mayor, was among the first to arrive.
“I think it’s such an important event to make 10,000 hot meals for the people that are homeless here,” Ali said. “We’ve been here since 7:30 in the morning making these hot meals and making sure we can get those delivered. It’s important to give back to our community,” Ali said.
Former Governor McGreevey, known for his longtime ties to Jersey City, praised the Sikh tradition of community service.
“Thank you to the Sikh community, which is an incredible community. Jersey City is so blessed, and we’re serving 10,000 meals today,” he said. “And I just want to say, for the interest of clarity, it’s Sikh women that are doing all the work.”
He spoke about his own journey to the Golden Temple in Punjab and the lessons he drew from the Sikh ethos of service.
“The Sikh community has a great religious tradition of giving, of serving… not only in terms of their tradition are they strong warriors and defenders of their faith, but they’re great community leaders, and they give back so much love and so much devotion,” McGreevey added.
Veteran Councilman Richard Boggiano, a familiar face at Sikh community events, expressed amazement at the scale and consistency of the effort.
“I’ve been coming here for a number of years, and this is unbelievable,” Boggiano said. “I can’t believe they’re going to feed 10,000 people today. And this community is great.”
Behind the scenes, orchestrating the massive food drive, was longtime organizer Onkar Singh. “We’ve been doing this since 2008,” Singh said. “And from the last many years, you are coming and supporting us. That’s the main thing… we love the city. And the city always gives us the opportunity to do all these things.”
Tom Zuppa, president of the Journal Square Community Association, reflected on the personal significance of participating in such events.
Zuppa said that it was “an incredible honor as someone whose family immigrated to America from Italy and Ireland to join in the tradition of giving back that the Sikh community has to this city, to this neighborhood, and to the people throughout Hudson County and New Jersey.”
Onkar Singh thanked hundreds of volunteer’s and sponsors who he noted, are the force behind the organization’s campaign.
