New photos of food relief activities in Orissa

Jahnava Nitai Das · 04-30-2002, 08:56 PM

Dear friends and devotees,

Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble pranams.

We have just updated our website with new photos of the food relief program being conducted in Orissa by the Bhaktivedanta Ashram. When you have time please visit the following page:

http://www.foodrelief.org/food-relief.htm

We thank everyone who has helped with this program (through service, donations, or encouragement). By Lord Krishna's mercy we have been able to steadily expand this service, and by the end of this year we hope to make it a daily program of distributing sanctified food to the needy.

Yours in service,

Jahnava Nitai Das,
Bhaktivedanta Ashram &
Bhaktivedanta International Charities
Web: http://www.foodrelief.org

Shashi · 05-06-2002, 08:28 PM

JN DasJi
This are being some good pictures also the picture of you? is surprising me as I am thinking you will not be doing the hands on but more the administrations. That is nice to.
So how can anybody be making the IRREGULAR donations by the mail and not credit card.
Wiil you send receipt for donors satisfaction that moneys reached safely?
Also my husband is asking if donations are being tax exempt for Australia?

Jahnava Nitai Das · 05-06-2002, 10:15 PM

Thanks for the comments. If anyone wants to send donations by post, they can mail them to:

Bhaktivedanta International Charities
P.O.Box 34153
Los Angeles, CA 90034
United States of America

All donations will receive a receipt by post, and they are tax exempt in the United States, but not in Australia.

abhi_the_great · 05-06-2002, 11:17 PM

So nice, so nice. This is inspiring devotion. I just visited another site of some gurukulis in NZ, almost naked!!!

Totally numbed.

This pictures are awe inspiring and delivers the message and mood of service.

Avinash · 05-07-2002, 12:01 AM

Why mail to USA? I know that you have centre there. But, when you have to carry out the program in India, don't you think it will be easier for you to control through some centre in India?

Jahnava Nitai Das · 05-07-2002, 12:48 AM

India has foreign currency regulations. If people specifically make special checks payable in Rupees, we can cash them within India. If they make the checks out to their local currency, we cannot. To make such checks costs a lot of money in the U.S. and other countries (maybe $30), so unless they are large donations, it doesnt make sense.

If anyone is within India, they can donate by sending it directly to our Ashram in Orissa.

If people want to receive tax exemption in the U.S., donations must be sent to the U.S. office. Donations sent to India are not tax deductable in the U.S., as we have a separate registration within India. Indians can receive tax deductions within India though.

Jahnava Nitai Das · 05-07-2002, 12:52 AM

As a side note, I personally handle all accounting, of both Bhaktivedanta International Charities (in the U.S.) and Bhaktivedanta Ashram Trust (in India).

Avinash · 05-07-2002, 01:28 AM

If anyone is within India, they can donate by sending it directly to our Ashram in Orissa.

Thank you. In case, somebody wants to know the addresses from this thread itself, I am pasting the addresses here: -

If you wish to donate by check (International checks are accepted) and if you live outside of India, please make it payable to "Bhaktivedanta International Charities". Send your donation to the following address:

Bhaktivedanta International Charities
P.O.Box 34153
Los Angeles, CA 90034
United States of America

If you live within India, please make your check or DD out to "ISKCON" and send it by registered post to the following address (if by DD, please make it payable at Bhadrak, Orissa):

Bhaktivedanta Ashram,
c/o Kamala Kanta Sahu
At - Kuansh,
P.O. - Bhadrak,
District - Bhadrak
Pin - 756 100
Orissa

Avinash · 05-07-2002, 01:46 AM

JN Das ji,
Could you tell, on an average, how much money you have to spend (in Indian Rupees) on one child?

Avinash · 05-07-2002, 05:13 AM

I asked the previous question so that a contributor can feel, "Oh, I am helping in feeding so many children!"

JRdd · 05-07-2002, 03:42 PM

From what I understand from the site, $11 feeds more than fifty people.

I am heartened by the fact that the program is building up and planning to someday do this on a daily basis.

Jahnava Nitai prabhu, I did not yet give a donation for April because it wouldn't accept my credit, no matter how many times I tried. It always did, before, and the credit card is useable. So I have also not given anything this month yet, as I was thinking maybe your system changed or there is some glitch now, and kept forgetting to ask about this. If you send a donation to the Los Angeles address, does it all get sent to you, just as if we donated directly to India?

thanks, ys, Jayaradhe

Shashi · 05-07-2002, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jndas:
India has foreign currency regulations. If people specifically make special checks payable in Rupees, we can cash them within India. If they make the checks out to their local currency, we cannot. To make such checks costs a lot of money in the U.S. and other countries (maybe $30), so unless they are large donations, it doesnt make sense.

If anyone is within India, they can donate by sending it directly to our Ashram in Orissa.

We are not having such problems in Australia. As one bank customer all charges whether local or foreign denominations for the international draft are being costing us only 12dollars.
So is it being alrite in some future times if we are sending draft check in rupees to this adrress:
Bhaktivedanta Ashram,
c/o Kamala Kanta Sahu
At - Kuansh,
P.O. - Bhadrak,
District - Bhadrak
Pin - 756 100
Orissa
?

Shashi · 05-07-2002, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JRdd:

I am heartened by the fact that the program is building up and planning to someday do this on a daily basis.

Haribol Jayaradhe Didi!!!
So you are well enough to be considering for the others with love and compassions?
This is being called perfect health.

[This message has been edited by Shashi (edited 05-09-2002).]

Jahnava Nitai Das · 05-08-2002, 12:31 AM

Sorry for the late replies, the cable lines got cut down by the telephone department so the internet was not working.

Shashi: Yes you can send it to the address in Bhadrak, but it should be sent by registered post if at all possible. The Indian postal system is not all that reliable.

JayaRadhe: Everything sent to our Los Angeles address gets sent to our ashram here. The only difference is it is tax deductable in U.S., and we will maintain separate accounts for it to report to the IRS. Personally I feel safer with things being sent there, as there is no doubt about the postal system.

I'm really not sure why your credit card was rejected. Maybe it will be easiest to just mail it.

Avinash: Usually we are able to feed one child for 8 rupees (around 16 cents U.S.). This includes rice, dahl, subji and chutney (mango chutney, not South Indian chutney) with each child eating two full plates.

Right now the distribution is done four times a month (on Sundays), but we have plans to make it a daily distribution within one or two months. The main limiting problem is the amount of work the volunteers have to do to setup in the villages. They have to transport all of the pots, grains, etc., 10 to 15 km by bicycle push cart, then stand in the hot sun next to a huge wood fire to cook the food (prasadam). Then after serving, in the evening, they have to clean up the entire area (without any lights, since these villages have no electricity), and finally bring all pots back, 10 to 15 km by bicycle push-cart. The entire procedure is very difficult and tiring for them, making it impossible for them to do it except on Sundays (most of them work 6 days a week in regular jobs as well).

This month we are trying to buy a small used van, which will remove around 70% of the difficulty involved, and subsequently enable us to conduct the distribution daily instead of just on Sundays. We will cook all of the food at our ashram (instead of at the village), transport it by van, distribute it, and return by van. The clean up can then be done at our ashram by other volunteers. Since the work involved will be much less, it will be possible to conduct it daily.

Shashi · 05-08-2002, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jndas:
Everything sent to our Los Angeles address gets sent to our ashram here. The only difference is it is tax deductable in U.S., and we will maintain separate accounts for it to report to the IRS. Personally I feel safer with things being sent there, as there is no doubt about the postal system.

OKAY. Thank you.
Whatever is being safer. US it is then!

Avinash · 05-08-2002, 05:46 AM

Dear Shashi ji,
I notice that you first wrote Didi for JRdd ji. Then you edited your post to change it to Mataji. Why is it so?

Shashi · 05-08-2002, 05:31 PM