SEVA – How You Can Help
Seva comes from the ancient language of Sanskrit meaning, “selfless service.” It is an offering to the Divine with the attitude that one is not the doer and with no thought of receiving anything in return. The very essence of Love is made manifest when we are serving God through our heartfelt actions dedicated to serving the soul of humanity.
Selfless service plays a role in our developement toward self realization. Random acts of kindness transform the mundane through the magic of kind words, thoughts and deeds. Our soul’s signature becomes everlasting by pure expressions of inspiration, commitment and gratitude to serve others.
In essence, we have all come here to make a positive difference and create a better place for those already here and for all those who will follow… I invite you to participate in the spiritual practice of Seva as an integral part of your spiritual lifestyle. There are endless places in the world to volunteer for Seva such as: orphanages, old age homes, hospice centers, hospitals or homeless shelters. Here are a few others you may wish to consider:
www.taracafeproject.ca
Kids Education Fund -The Tara Café Project initiated a program to fund the education of children living in the nomadic encampments and rural villages of the rugged eastern Tibetan Plateau (Sichuan & Quinghai provinces, China). While Tibetan children from these nomadic, semi-nomadic or farming families may have the opportunity to attend a residential or day school, school fees for even one child are beyond the means of many Tibetan families living in China. The Tara Café Project helps impoverished families to send their children to school, to learn to read and write in Tibetan, and receive a basic education grounded in their own rich culture. The Tara Café Project is in partnership with the Mary A. Tidlund Charitable Foundation of Alberta, with 90% of all donations going directly to assisting Tibetan schools and students.
www.USAService.org
A site honoring Dr. King’s legacy, started by President Obama for Americans to make commitments to build communities, find opportunities to serve and share their results.
www.Kiva.org
Micro-financing for the underprivileged to get ahead.
www.sevacafe.org
Seva Café is an experiment in the shared joy that comes from humble giving and selfless service. Wholesome meals are cooked and served with love by volunteers and offered to our guests as a genuine gift, paid for in full by previous guests.Located both in Long Beach,California and Ahmedabad, India.
www.annalakshmi.org
Operates on the basis of “Eat as you Want, Pay as you Wish” where the guest decides not just what to order but also how much to pay. Annalakshmi, trusts and believes that people will pay what is fair that is within their means. First started in Malaysia in 1984, Annalakshmi also operates in Australia, Singapore and India and planning to open in San Francisco, USA. Vegetarian cuisine inspired by Ayurvedic principles is served. A non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the joy of Indian culinary and performing arts to one and all.
www.volunteermatch.org
Volunteer Match is a nonprofit organization with a mission to strenthen communities by making it easier for good people and good causes to connect.
www.care.org
CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty with special focus on working alongside poor women. Equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE’s community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources.
www.farmsanctuary.org
Farm Sanctuary conducts investigative and advocacy campaigns to uncover cruelty at factory farms, stockyards and slaughterhouses and helps bring the animals to safety. Farm Sanctuary runs the largest rescue and refuge network for farm animals in North America and provides lifelong care and rehabilitation to farm animals rescued from cruelty and neglect. A non profit, tax deductible organization.
www.hopethrougheducation.com
Hope Through Education aims to provide underprivileged children in South Africa with an education for a better life. Giving them hope of one day becoming the leaders in the fight against the larger problems of disease, violence, and poverty that exist in their home today. After visiting orphanages and villages in South Africa, Devon Esrick, a teenage girl was so moved and profoundly concerned for the children she had met, founded Hope Through Education. A non-profit, charitable foundation, 100% of proceeds directly go to building schools and orphanages in South Africa.
www.marysplacebythesea.org
Mary’s Place by the Sea was created to give women with cancer a place to rest and revive during and after treatment. Staff will care for their needs as they work through the rigors of their treatment. Additionally, provides Reiki, guided meditation, yoga and spa services. The center focuses on the individual getting well and gaining strength to win the battle with cancer. Opening their first cancer care center at the Jersey Shore in the Summer of 2009. By 2020, their goal is to have a center built in every major US city. Seeking volunteers to assist.
www.aleguprescue.org
A Leg Up Rescue is a nonprofit 501c3 organization dedicated to rescuing dogs and cats from life-threatening situations. All of these companion animals were either in danger of being euthanized in animal shelters, neglected or abused, or taken from the public (when space permits) so they are not bounced around to different homes or collected and sold to research labs by “bunchers.”
www.saveourpetsfoodbank.org
MISSION:To ensure that companion animals never go hungry by providing assistance to their families. A 501(c)(3)Organization. Economically challenged individuals facing a decision about the future of their pets, can call(404) 872-7708.
www.matinepal.org
Anuradha Koirala,(CNN Hero 2010) and her group, Maiti Nepal, have helped more than 12,000 victims of Nepal’s sex trafficking business. Support Maiti Nepal in its work of prevention, interception, rescue and rehabilitation of victims; and criminal prosecution of perpetrators.
www.akshyatrust.org
Mission statement: Committed care for the helpless,forsaken,mentally ill, old, sick, roadside destitute,living and dying in the streets of Madurai, India by providing healthy food, love, and opportunity to rehabilitate, rrestoring human dignity. Narayanan Krishnan – (CNN Hero).
www.marysmeals.org
Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow’s (CNN Hero) program Mary’s Meals is an international movement to set up school feeding projects in communities where poverty and hunger prevent children from gaining an education.Mary’s Meals provides daily meals in school for over 450,000 children in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Mary’s Meals not only addresses the immediate needs of hungry children by giving them a daily meal, it also allows those children to receive an education that can provide an escape from poverty for themselves and their communities.
More to come…
“While we are here on this planet, we have to do something noble with our lives. Our actions must leave a sweet fragrance and be a great message that lives long after we are gone. This is the dharma of each person. Real moksha (enlightenment) is when someone looks in your eyes with gratitude, because you have done something to remove their suffering.”
