Sikh charity helping the homeless in Kettering hopes for more community involvement

A Sikh charity will be giving a hot Christmas dinner to the homeless in Kettering on Sunday by the clock tower

Bal Garcha, from Kettering, has been working with Midland Langar Seva Society (MLSS) for the past six years and has a team of around 15 volunteers that help organise feeds for the homeless in Kettering.

The charity is national and has won a Pride of Britain Award for their work in helping the homeless, but Bal says she hopes more people in Kettering, Corby and Wellingborough will volunteer with MLSS to extend their services.

Bal said: "We want to reach out across other areas, like Corby and Wellingborough.

"We don't want it just to be about Sikhs, we want other communities involved."

Kettering's branch of MLSS is currently preparing for a Christmas dinner on Sunday, December 22, by the clock tower in Kettering town centre between 5pm-6pm.

Bal said: "Our youngest volunteer is 11, she said 'I want these people to have a proper Christmas dinner like I have in my house'.

"Being Sikh, we are vegetarian, so it's a full Christmas dinner but vegetarian. We're planning on making vegetarian wellingtons."

Bal said there would also be crackers and presents and the MLSS bus is coming from Birmingham.

Bal said: "We are bringing the charity bus down so that people will be able to come off the street and have their meal in the warm."

The group prepare their meals at their local Sikh temple. With 15 volunteers, they cook to feed around 30-40 homeless people.

Bal said: "We are trying to raise awareness and cover Corby and Wellingborough as it's been brought to my attention they are in need of a team."

She said they want to make this a community project.

MLSS started in Walsall providing hot food to those living on the street or on the poverty line and says it opperates on a Sikh based ethos of helping all people.

'Langar', part of the charity's name, is the Sikh or Punjab term for a common kitchen or canteen where food is served for free, without prejudice on the grounds of race, religion or background.

Bal said anyone locally who would like to join in and help MLSS should go to the website.