A Miracle in Timing
On a recent Saturday, Anne K. and Dara of KPC Buddhist Relief met Jean Pierre and Mama to collect three freezers — a generous offering from our founder, Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo — and deliver them to Mama Mona, a community organizer connected through Mariama Sy, a volunteer coordinator who leads the West African refugee community KPC Buddhist Relief serves. They loaded the freezers and a wooden side table into the van and drove together to her location in Silver Spring.
Mama Mona was visibly delighted and grateful as she greeted them at the door, guiding them to her two-car garage and directing them to move a few items for the freezers. There were already a few freezers there, but not enough to hold the food for the number of people her organization feeds each month. She exclaimed more than once what a miracle this was, both the gift of the freezers and the timing of them — they would be receiving 4,000 pounds of meat in just a few weeks.
Mama Mona started AMSS — the American Muslim Senior Society — in 2018 to identify isolated, underserved seniors and their caregivers and connect them to services so they can age in place with dignity. Culturally, it's hard for this population to ask for help to care for their elders, so AMSS has trained 57 Ambassadors to help families navigate and connect with resources. The program the freezers will support is Halal Meals on Wheels, where volunteers cook and deliver hot meals once a week — anywhere from 600 to 1,000 meals per delivery. They also operate a food pantry on Crabbs Branch Way in Rockville every first and third Sunday, preparing boxes for approximately 470 families each time.
She asked about KPC Buddhist Relief, and the team told her about Jetsunma and her boundless compassion, the temple, and the humanitarian work we do — and connected her with So What Else as an additional food resource.
We parted with more thanks and appreciation from her, both for the donation of the freezers and for the activity of Buddhist Relief, accompanied by her wishes that we stay in touch. We are continually grateful for Jetsunma’s unending display of generosity.
