Fremont, CA (July 22, 2020): Sewa International’s Bay Area Chapter organized a luncheon for 500 frontline workers from Kaiser Permanente in Fremont, CA on Wednesday, July 22 to thank them for their hard work and sacrifices in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Sewa’s young volunteers collected over $20,000 to fund the luncheon as part of their LEAD summer leadership program. They raised this amount by hosting online games, teaching AMC Math, and coaching middle schoolers for the Math Olympiad.
“During these trying and unprecedented times, these amazing individuals from Kaiser Permanente have shown us the power of self-sacrifice for the sake of society and for those in need. As a college student, I personally feel the anxiety that is growing across society, but the frontline workers from Kaiser have demonstrated that any obstacle can be overcome if we all come together to support and help each other. I am excited that Sewa has given me an opportunity to serve these wonderful people in this fashion today,” said Sewa youth volunteer Sarvesh Aiyagari.
“Sewa was very generous and kind to donate and help the community during this pandemic,” said Sheridan Loyd, Associate Medical Group Administrator at Kaiser, Fremont who thanked Sewa for the luncheon and commended Sewa for bringing some solace to the population gripped by fear and uncertainty.
Students Get Into Action
Sewa’s high school and college volunteers have taken part in many COVID-19 relief efforts in the Bay Area. They have provided dinner to people at the Martinez Shelter for a week, donated baby food to a nursery in Concord, donated school supplies to children in Oroville and Concow, and donated masks and face shields to various hospitals and schools.
Prior to this event, the Bay Area chapter had donated more than 75,000 KN95 and N95 surgical masks and face shields to beneficiary institutes including the United States Postal Service, Valley Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, San Ramon Police Department, City of Sunnyvale, and City of Cupertino, among others. The Bay Area chapter has also played an instrumental role in helping stranded passengers and students.
Nationwide, Sewa has distributed over 650,000 masks, 1,000 liters of sanitizer, 63,000 hot meals, and donated over $100,0000 to food pantries during this COVID-19 crisis. More than 3,000 volunteers across 43 chapters from 28 states have worked in collaboration with over 250 Indian American community organizations across the country to support frontline workers, families, and individuals in need. In addition, Sewa International has set up ten national helpline centers to field and monitor calls for help and information. Through the information received via these helplines, Sewa International launched the Plasma Registry Drive which led to successful registry matches for four COVID-19 patients.
For more information on Sewa International’s efforts to support communities nationwide during the COVID-19 crisis, please visit https://sewausa.org/covid-19.
About Sewa International
Sewa International, a leading Hindu faith-based Indian American nonprofit organization, has extensive experience in disaster rescue, relief, and rehabilitation operations having responded to 25 disasters in the US and abroad. In 2017, after Hurricane Harvey struck the Houston area, Sewa volunteers helped in the rescue of nearly 700 people, and have served thousands of affected families since then through their case management service. Sewa raised over $3 million for Hurricane Harvey recovery, Sewa continues to rebuild houses, and, greenhouses that serve as a means of livelihood. Sewa International has also rendered relief in the wake of hurricane Maria in 2018 and Hurricane Imelda in 2019. Sewa teams in the San Francisco Bay Area continue to build and donate tiny homes for those rendered homeless in California Camp Fire of November 2018.
Among its other accolades, Sewa International has been recognized by Charity Navigator – the premier nonprofit rating agency – as the number five among the “10 Highly Rated Charities Relying on Private Contributions.” Sewa has for the last three years continuously scored the topmost-rated 4-star from Charity Navigator, and has earned perfect scores for its Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency.
