Sewa Diwali Food Drive Collects More Than 2K Pounds Of Food In Chatham

CHATHAM, NJ — As part of this year's Sewa Diwali food drive in Chatham, more than 2,000 pounds of food were donated to a local food pantry.

This week, the Chatham Indian Community joined forces with the Morris Plains Sewa Diwali Team to deliver 2,613 pounds of nonperishable food to the Interfaith Food Pantry Network.

"SewaDiwali has a deep and noble meaning to all, who believe in Sewa Dharma – “Service to Humanity is Service to Divinity.” As we celebrate the festival of lights – Diwali in October this year, the initiative of #SewaDiwali helps us enlighten the larger society we live in by inspiring us to “give back,” said a representative for the organization.

The Interfaith Food Pantry Network is a county-wide food pantry that has been a leader in the fight against hunger in Morris County for many years.

In recent years, SewaDiwali has come to symbolize the American Dharmic Community's collective strength and synergy in providing valuable service to their local communities. The Chatham Indian Community reports that they are growing nationally year after year.

"We have been expanding nationally, year-over-year. In 2021, the campaign ran in 200 cities across 32 states. We collected around 600,000 pounds of food items and donated to 376 food pantries, soup kitchens etc. across 40+ townships throughout the country," said the group.

The food drive this year was also coordinated with the local YMCA.