Meals for the homeless   Meals on Wheels Hampers Toy Collection Conservation Police Station Gardens Religious Classes Blood Donation Spectacles for Vision Aid Age Link Interfaith School Visits Mayor of Merton's Charities   Millennium Projects

The Shree Ghanapathy Temple in Effra Road, was built and consecrated in 1981 and has been serving the religious and cultural needs of the Hindu Community within the borough for the past 18 years. Along with the traditional South Indian Temple, the site also houses a Sai Mandir - a Temple dedicated to Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Helping others is a major part of the way that we express our devotion to God as we believe that, through serving others, we are serving our Lord. In response to this, the Sathya Sai Baba Centre of Merton, who meet for group worship at the Sai Mandir, created a group of dedicated, dynamic and devoted volunteers who, with the full support and backing of the Temple, help in many different aspects of community work. Some of the main work that is carried out in the community is listed below:

Meals for the homeless

Every Sunday, about 250 homeless people in Central London are served a fully cooked and wholesome lunch. Our volunteers cook the food in their homes early in the morning, pack them in foil containers and the food is delivered to pre- arranged sites in London, where the poor and homeless regularly come to get a free meal. In addition, once every four months, our volunteers join with others to provide meals for the homeless at St. Leonard's Hall, Tooting Bec.

Meals on Wheels

In conjunction with the Merton and Morden Guild of Social Services, our volunteers act as drivers or escorts for the distribution of meals for the elderly and handicapped in the borough.

Hampers

Twice a year, we make up approx. 35-40 large hampers containing food and toiletries for local elderly residents. For reasons of confidentiality, the council can not give us a list of names and adresses of local elderly residents. So we give the hampers to "Merton Homecare Services",who then deliver them on our behalf.

Toy Collection

Twice a year, our Sunday School children collect new books, toys and art materials which are then given to underprivelaged children at the Bayswater Family Centre.

Conservation

In conjunction with the Merton "Going for Green" Project, our group do regular conservation projects throughout the year, including tree planting, recycling and also an on-going project of clearing and maintaining a section of land by the River Wandle.

Police Station Gardens

The Temple has an excellent relationship with Wimbledon Police Station, who have always done their best to help and give advice when we have problems. A few years ago, when we heard that funding had been withdrawn for the upkeep of their wonderful front gardens, we offered to take on that responsibility, in an effort to put something back into our local community. Our offer was accepted and we now fully maintain, water and restock the bedding and planted areas in front of the Police Station.

Religious Classes

We have a Sunday School (Sai Spiritual Education Classes), which is run by volunteer teachers who teach the children about Hinduism and the other major religions of the world, and also about the 5 Human Values of Truth, Love, Peace, Non-violence and Right Conduct. As part of their spiritual and moral education, we believe in fostering in them the urge to help others. As a result, the children regularly visit local old people's homes and hospitals to entertain the patients with musical and dance performances, followed by refreshments made and served by our volunteers.

Blood Donation

Our volunteers regularly arrange and participate in local blood donation drives.

Spectacles for Vision Aid

For the past few years, our volunteers have been collecting old and unwanted spectacles from devotees and also from local opticians, which are then sorted and sent to "Vision Aid" who use these spectacles to restore good eyesight to the needy all over the world.

Age Link

Every 4 months, some of the local branches of Age Link are invited to the Temple for an afternoon of entertainment provided by our children and youth, and food specially prepared by our lady volunteers. These afternoons are very successful and enjoyed by young and old alike.

Interfaith

Our group is also very active in the local interfaith organisations, providing support for interfaith programmes at a local and at a national level, and always ready to provide teachers and resources on Hinduism for students & teachers etc.

School Visits

A major community role that we fulfill is that the Temple has been recognised as an excellent place for schools to visit as part of their teaching of Hinduism in their Religious Education Curriculum. We provide tours of the Temple, lectures and practical demonstrations for all the local schools, teacher training colleges, interfaith groups and other religious organisations, completely free of charge, and we have at least 60 schools and colleges of further education visiting us each year.

Mayor of Merton's Charities

Each year, the Temple donates money to the Mayor of Merton's Charities. We also try to get the children involved by organising an additional sponsored event. In previous years, we have had "sponsored runs" and "sponsored spelling" events, which have been very successful. Last year, we sold the Mayor's "Christmas Cracker" tapes and CDs and this year, the Mayor came to our first Community Day and we will be looking at other ways of helping her charities.

Millennium Projects

This year, we plan to get involved in various projects to celebrate the millennium. We are currently participating in the "Merton Millennium Woodland Project", and have planted hundreds of trees for the next century. We will be taking part in local interfaith celebrations for the millennium and will also be planning a large celebration and exhibition at the Temple. We will also be happy to participate in any celebrations or events organised locally or nationally and will aim to give our full support and co-operation.
If you would like any more information about these activities, or would like to get involved with any particular projects, please contact us.