My Nonprofit Reviews

Volunteering with and being associated with Community Seva has been the best thing that has happened to our family. It has helped us(my husband and I) and our kids grow our empathy, be humble & serve selflessly. In an affluent area like the Silicon Valley, it is quite easy to forget that there is still high food insecurity in the US. Community Seva provides us an opportunity for us to give back with hands on volunteering in our local community.

There have been many experiences over the last 4 years serving with Communtiy Seva that have helped me grow as a person and enriched my life. However, there is one incident that I would like to mention here.

On a cold winter day in 2015, like most weeks, I had volunteered with and helped cook & serve breakfast with Community Seva at a homeless shelter in San Jose. Later that evening, my family and I went out for dinner in downtown San Jose. Being the busy holiday season, we had to park a few blocks from the restaurant. My kids and I were walking down the dark alley towards the restaurant while my husband was walking a few feet behind us, when suddenly, a man was walking straight towards us. It was quite clear from his appearance that this person appeared to be living on the streets and my first instinct was to pull my purse & my kids close to myself. The man continued walking towards me, came up to me and said "Ma'm you might not remember me, but you served me hot breakfast this morning at the shelter and that is the only meal I have had all day. Thank you for that & God bless you". Saying just that, he walked right past. I stood there shocked, eyes full of tears and speechless.
That moment I realized how a small act of kindness can change someone's day and life. I also realized and was ashamed of how quick I was to judge someone and their intent. This was such a valuable lesson for all of us.

It is heartwarming to know that Community Seva impacts not only those who we serve but all of us that volunteer as well.
Thank you for that Community Seva!