Feeding the homeless and
Refugees in the Netherlands
“Go feed the homeless” were the words given by Swami recently when a youth from the Netherlands asked Him what more they can do as Sai Youth of the Netherlands. For a while, they were confused about the message and the direction because the Netherlands, for the most part, is a developed economy with a stable and financially homogeneous society. The youth discussed among themselves about what and how this could be done. Through discussions between devotees already engaged in various forms of individual services, there arose an idea to feed the homeless, who were recent immigrants to the country and were in a youth shelter in Eindhoven.
On June 15, 2019, with Swami’s grace and along with the staff at the shelter; the first date was set to cook and feed about 25 people for lunch. Again, on July 27, 2019, another Seva was done by serving about 20 people that came to the shelter. With Swami’s will and direction, the youth hope to continue cooking and feeding the homeless at this shelter, once a month.
Parallel to this Seva, another tremendous effort has been undertaken by a devotee who has started to volunteer as a driver for a ‘Soup Bus’, carrying food to the homeless on the streets of Den Hague. Also, devotees from the youth group, individually continue their own Seva to various organisations; for example, cooking for, serving or giving company to residents in elderly homes.
The Sai Youth group continues to explore opportunities to serve the homeless, keeping Swami’s message in the consciousness and being aware of the need to continually serve regardless of the place and time. The opportunity to serve can be found in the quietest of the situations. Another important reminder has been that whether by serving one or many, through service, the youth are continually transforming themselves as well as the person(s) they come in contact with. It is more than the food they are feeding. They are feeding the need for a smile or a chat. Essentially, love packaged in small digestible forms!