It’s 6:55 p.m. on a Tuesday in early summer. The chill of the air complements the ephemeral echoes of past midterms and finals. In this dormant state, a blue tent near the Abdul Ladha Science Student Centre with the words “Love All, Feed All” printed on it is quickly erected by six people, all with smiles on their faces. A line of twenty-or-so have already appeared for a free meal, and the UBC Sikh Students’ Association is happy to feed them.
The UBC Sikh Students’ Association (SSA) was founded in 1985 to create a space for the university’s Sikh population. Sikhi is the fourth largest religion in Canada and the second most followed religion in B.C., and the SSA creates a space for Sikh students to meet each other and give back to the community in a religiously fulfilling way.
One main belief of Sikhi is that everyone should be fed. Based on the teachings of Guru Nanak, one of the original leaders of the faith, Sikhs created langars. These vegetarian communal meals are typically served in Gurdwaras – Sikh places of worship and community – every day, 24/7. Free meals are given out by volunteers to anyone coming into a Gurdwara hungry.
These meals are not restricted to Sikhs. Everyone is welcome when langar is served. Jashan Chacal, a sixth-year engineering student and a prominent SSA member and organizer, told me Sikhs look at langar as the great equalizer. He said, “it's just a constant reminder to yourself that no matter who you are, a CEO or just a labour worker, in the end, you're all coming down to eat food.”
Chacal told me about Guru Nanak, who founded Sikhi in the 14th century. "A king wanted to meet him and ask for some spiritual advice. [He] said, ‘if you want to have some food with me, you'll have to come down and sit on the ground and eat from the same utensils that a peasant eats from’. And so 500 years ago, he's talking about equality and making sure that kings and peasants are the same. They're all human in the end, and that's what we believe.”
Every year, the SSA puts on their Langar Day. One day a year in late March, in the belly of the Nest, students are invited and encouraged to get a free hot meal provided by the volunteering club members. It’s a big event, with students lining up in battalions to receive this food. Chacal told me they make a thousand free meals for Langar Day to give out to students each year.
This alone is no small feat, but Chacal wanted to expand. In August of 2023, while working in the AMS, he thought he could make large-scale langars a weekly thing. With the help of Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen, he helped start the Vand Shako project, serving langars outside the Nest every Tuesday starting at 7 p.m. and continuing until they run out.
Over the course of three years, they have served over 26,000 meals to anyone at UBC who wants them.
Students and the surrounding community seem very eager for affordable food. If you were to visit the Vand Shako project during the school year, a 10-minute delay could cost you dinner. A hundred students line up before 7 p.m. from Abdul Ladha to the Nest entrance to receive one of the 200 available meals.
Food insecurity is a problem at UBC. One report by the AMS noted that the Food Bank represented about 70 per cent of all of their service interactions. Statistics Canada's most recent Canadian Income Survey reported that nearly 10 million Canadians live in food-insecure households.
The SSA wants to expand the scope of the Vand Shako project. They recently acquired a food truck and over $25,000 in funding from various clubs and the AMS to produce more langars. According to Chacal, they have the money and resources to expand their operation from 200 meals once a week to 500 meals two or three times a week, which would put them at over five times their current weekly output.
The food is also excellent. As a branded “food critic,” I can say that the SSA serves quality cooking. They served a wonderfully-spiced red dish with rice and peas. It had a slight backheat that filled me with nostalgia and simple joy. It was hearty, wonderful, and even if you forgot to eat it for 10 minutes, it was still good enough to keep you warm in the light chill of the evening.
The SSA puts their religious obligations and traditions into wonderful practice. Their devotion to public good is unwavering, clear and joyful. Chacal told me that during the year, they have almost too many volunteers for the Vand Shako project. Hearing about their love for club outreach, student participation and desire to create a model of food for all was spectacular.
The road forward with the food truck should be celebrated. In one week, they will be able to outpace their yearly event. It’s evident that they’re ready to hit the ground running.
After 20 minutes, the SSA runs out of food. The sun sets a little more. Fifteen or so people quietly eat their dinner on the wooden benches outside the Nest, making light and lovely conversation with each other. As quickly as it was put up, the blue tent is taken down, the serving gloves are tossed and the serving containers are packed up. In an instant, there is no tent, just six volunteers with smiles on their faces.
