AFTER successfully delivering baked goods, valentine’s cards and chocolates to women’s shelters last year, Sikh communities across Canada, with the assistance of the World Sikh Organization of Canada along with Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen and local gurdwaras and Khalsa schools will once again joined the One Billion Rising movement to make February 14 a “day of action” to volunteer and serve at women’s shelters.

One Billion Rising began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than one billion women and girls.

In the spirit of the Sikh tradition of Langar or the free community kitchen, the Sikh community of BC’s Lower Mainland, Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen and the World Sikh Organization of Canada joined with One Billion Rising to serve women and children in women’s shelters.

Similar events were held in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal in partnership with Sikh communities and shelters in those cities.

Sikhs baked or bought treats and dropped them off at designated drop-off centres by Wednesday evening. On Friday, Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen and World Sikh Organization of Canada delivered the treats to local women’s shelters.