I met this man, AJ, on the streets of India 5 years ago in 2015. On my first day in the bustling streets of Delhi, AJ ran up to me offering to tour me around his city out of pure kindness to give his time. Recently, he has been my greatest teacher, because through him, I have gained a greater sense of appreciation of what I have. More importantly expanded my perspective on the importance of service and giving.
During the pandemic, we all know people around the world are suffering, especially vulnerable parts of the world. This includes my friend AJ. AJ and his wife has a family of 4 young kids. AJ has been without a job as a travel tour guide in his city since the lockdown in February. Without any other work available, he has to travel over an hour by bus to work in hard labour carrying concrete just to make 6000 rupees ($100 cad) a month.
They live in a small one bedroom space with his family of 4 kids. AJ barely makes enough to pay for food for his family, let alone his monthly rent of 7000 rupees ($125). His landlord has threatened to kick him out of the house, and AJ fears he will be living on the streets with his family. As you can imagine, in the slum regions of Delhi, where he lives there is no help from the government or any charity organization. The friendship we have developed over the last 5 years had given me the opportunity to serve.With only a few hundred dollars a month, we can provide all the basic necessities to support a family in AJ’s village:
7000 rupees ($125) for rent
6000 rupees ($100) for food
2000 rupees ($35) for electricity
2000 rupees ($35) for misc supplies
1000 rupees ($20) education for children.
Through AJ and his wife Seema’s, we can access impoverished families just like their own who are devastated by the pandemic. Many of their neighbours who live in the slums of Delhi are suffering. With a few hundred dollars, we can support an entire family with the basic needs of survival for months. Many parts of the world are greatly impacted by the pandemic beyond imagination. However, if we can just support one more family that desperately need our compassion, we can an impact one family at a time.
Last year, my birthday wish was to start a soup kitchen to nourish 60 hungry children daily in the slums of India. Thanks to the kindness of many, that dream became a reality.
Since May 2024, we have served over 200,000 warm meals and now feed more than 100 children daily—many of them orphans—living in some of the world’s most impoverished areas.
This year, I dream even bigger: to provide these children with education, giving them a true chance at a brighter future. After filling their hungry stomachs, we have begun nurturing their minds and hearts, instilling the values of Right Thought, Right Action, and Right Speech through our Daily Kindness Menu, teaching that even the smallest acts can create a profound impact.
Monday: Pick up 10 pieces of trash.
Tuesday: Say Thank You to 5 people
Wednesday: Do 3 good deeds.
Thursday: Say something Nice to 5 people.
Friday: Learn 3 new things and teach someone.
Saturday: Share a toy or a drawing with someone.
Sunday: Read a book.
For many of these children, even a pencil is a luxury. With your support, we hope to hire a teacher, provide books, and offer resources to illuminate their path forward and give them a second chance.
If you’d like to be part of this mission, please consider contributing through our GoFundMe page—100% of the funds go directly to transforming lives.
Together, we can make a small dent in this world.
Namaste,
Bruce
