By Kim Behan and Carla Prater
Since 2010, BGR’s main fundraising activity has been its annual “Walk to Feed the Hungry.” In recent years, we’ve been holding ten annual walks from coast to coast, with satellite walks in the U.K., Uganda, and India. Most walks have taken place in the autumn, from late September through early November.
This year, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented us from holding our walks—with the notable exception of Connecticut, where the danger of viral transmission was almost nonexistent. This walk was led by Ven. Shim Bo Sunim of the White Lotus Haven Zen community. In place of the other walks, BGR launched a network of online events to mobilize Buddhists and friends of Buddhism everywhere, in the U.S. and abroad, to join us in taking compassionate action to combat chronic hunger and malnutrition.
At these events, Buddhist centers and temples across the U.S. hosted live-streamed Dharma gatherings featuring talks and meditations by beloved Buddhist teachers as well as testimonials about the wonderful projects that have been sponsored by BGR thanks to the generosity of our global community.
The major gathering was the National Event, held on October 24, directly hosted by BGR with collaboration from Vajra Dakini Nunnery, in Portland, Maine.
The other online events were launched in:
Berkeley, California (October 3), hosted by the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery, Berkeley Buddhist Temple, and Berkeley Zen Center, coordinated by Ayya Dhammadipa of Aloka Vihara.
Houston, Texas (October 11), hosted by the Myoken-Ji Nichiren Buddhist Temple and the Houston Zen Center.
Newport, Washington (October 17), hosted by Sravasti Abbey.
St. Louis, Missouri (November 15), hosted by the Buddhist Council of Greater St. Louis, coordinated by Leonora Kham.
We thank everyone who helped to organize, sponsor, and present at these events. We also thank all those who joined us for these gatherings and were moved to contribute to support the work of BGR! The events were a beautiful tribute to our shared commitment to relieving the suffering of hunger and poverty worldwide.
If you missed the online gatherings, or if you would like to share any of these events with friends and Sangha community, you can access the recordings through this link.
One of the highlights of the National Event was Rev. Heng Sure (of the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery) presenting his song “The Story of Sunita,” an adaptation of the poem by the monk Sunita found in the Theragatha. You can see this inspiring performance here.
