April is National Sikh Heritage Month. In honor of the great contributions of our Sikh community, Local 115 would like highlight the Calgary Dashmesh Cultural Centre (DCC) and their generous work (both past and present) in ensuring food security, ensuring that there are “No Hungry Tummies”.

The Dashmesh Cultural Centre, currently located in the community of Martindale in Calgary was built in 1987. With a membership of 15 000 +, serving a community of 100 000 strong, DCC has become a cultural and religious hub for the Sikh community of Calgary to gather, meditate, teach and serve.

Generosity, hospitality, equal and equitable service to others and to community has always been a hallmark of Sikhism. In quoting the DCC website, “We feel very strongly about always standing against any inequality. Sikhs feel everyone should be treated equally, and we wish to create/live in a socially just world. Sikhs believe everyone should feel a sense of belonging. With this in mind, we see everyone as a human being before anything else. Harmandir Sahib, our eminent temple, has 4 doors (one on each of the 4 directions); these doors are always open. These two things symbolize that everyone and anyone is welcome to any Gurdwara, at any time”. 1

I remember when I first visited a Sikh temple many years ago, the spirit of generosity and hospitality was acutely palpable. Many people express their love for others through food and service (think of going to grandma’s house for dinner), and my visit was no exception – one of the first greetings I remember receiving at that visit was “have you eaten yet?” Food is a love language.

Ever since the COVID 19 pandemic started, “isolation” has not been an unfamiliar word among individuals and families. Since they opened in 1987, the DCC has always had a tradition of feeding the hungry through their free hot meals (langar) and community kitchen service (serving daily from 0500 – 2200 hr). Both the DCC food bank and the No Hungry Tummy initiative was born out of this need to serve and connect throughout the pandemic.

The DCC Food Bank was an initiative started by the youth at the beginning of the COVID 19 in April 2020. In response to the felt need in the community, the youth wanted to expand the concept of “langar” to better reach those in need. Relying soley on donations from the community, the DCC Food Bank, which is open to everyone, 7 days a week from 1200 – 1600 hr has helped deliver over 27,000+ lbs. of food to those in need. In December 2022 alone, 2 030 lbs. of food have been distributed; that’s 52 families served!

The “No Hungry Tummy” initiative was born out of the same spirit as the DCC Food Bank. In response to a community need, and as an expansion of the traditional langar, the DCC started an initiative called “No Hungry Tummy” which is providing hot meals on the go. The No Hungry 1 https://dashmesh.ca/about/ Tummy initiative is a service that provides fresh hot meals containing flatbread, lentils, and rice pudding. Hot meals are both served at Dashmesh Culture Centre and are available for delivery.

In the spirit of National Sikh Heritage Month, the next time you are in Martindale, Calgary, consider dropping by the Dashmesh Cultural Centre for a visit – whether that be for a hot langar meal, a donation or just to learn more about Sikhism.

The DCC encourages anyone that needs food security services to visit them in person at 135 Martindale Blvd NE, Calgary or to email them at food@dashmesh.ca. The DCC Food Bank is open 7 days a week from 1200 – 1600 hr. Free hot langar meals are served at the DCC from 0500 – 2200 hr.

More information can also be found at https://dashmesh.ca/

Wishing everyone a Happy Sikh Heritage Month!