Opening up another day to feed the hungry and sending his most vulnerable senior volunteers home is just part of the ongoing changes occurring during the coronavirus pandemic for Ranjit Singh.
He and other volunteers offer Guru Nanak Free Food Langar Prince George at 2225 Victoria St., in the heart of the most vulnerable area in town.
Singh has opened the free food service from 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday and most recently Saturdays because one of the outlets that offered food downtown on Saturdays shut down.
"If we have to go all out and open seven days a week we will," Singh said.
"As long as everybody's fed. You don't know who's going to get the disease and pass away but at least they'll have their belly full before any of that happens. If you're hungry for two days... hunger is worse than the disease."
Singh has opened his heart to invite students to get fed but has shut the doors and eliminated the tables where people could sit, rest and eat in response to the coronavirus pandemic and the call for social distancing.
"I feel sad about that," Singh said. "People still get their food and get extra to take home and eat."
His new sign explains the process in the face of the threat of COVID-19 where people can take the food only after it’s been placed on the four-foot table. The sign also says to keep a six-foot distance between each other and there's advice about coughing into a tissue. There are special instructions for elders and seniors to stay in their cars and honk and a volunteer will bring out fruit, food and a beverage to them.
Most recently, as the offer to feed college students went out, the response was for some of them to volunteer.
"I've got two young men now who will deliver food to seniors' homes," Singh said. "We have to protect them and that's why I sent my senior volunteers home."
The ebb and flow of demand depends on if it's close to when people get their income assistance payments, Singh said. Sometimes the demand needs 55 pizzas to feed everyone and sometimes it's 30, he added.
Singh started the program years ago when he felt a calling to serve others.
"Every soul counts," Sing said. "Building a church is just an empty shell. Every human being is the same to me - rich, poor or whatever. They are all godly inside."
In the meantime, the program will keep going especially during these challenging times.
"We'll keep moving on," Singh said. "It's a little bit more work but God keeps sending his helpers all the time. We just want everyone to be fed and be safe - however long this takes."
