Pidi Ari – monthly food drive

Pidi Ari is our monthly food drive. Learning from the traditions of our grandmothers: Our grandmothers had a rich tradition of sharing by taking a handful of rice every time they cooked rice and keep it in another container. At the end of the month, the altar boy from the church went door to door collecting this rice. This rice was distributed by the church to poor families who did not have enough for their daily meals. It was called Pidi Ari. (a handful of rice)

We wanted to continue this great tradition, and as we started the project, we called it the Pidi Ari project. Every month, on the first Sunday, we collect canned food and donate it to the local food bank or pantry. As time went by, more and more families committed to monthly giving, making it a sustained project. Volunteers take turns to shop and delivering the canned food donations and youth and kids equally participate in the logistics of the project.

In the first year, the heavenly Father has abundantly blessed us to grow this project as we donated ~4000 lbs of canned food as part of this project. This has helped build a great partnership with local charities and helped us reach out to people in need during natural calamities.

We thank all our supporters for making the first year sustainable and memorable. While our dreams never stop short of our own pantry for the church, we take baby steps in sharing Jesus’s love in the fight against hunger.