In 2007, the American Buddhist scholar-monk Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi was invited to write an editorial essay for the Buddhist magazine Buddhadharma. In his essay, “A Challenge to Buddhists,” he called attention to American Buddhism’s neglect of the active dimension of Buddhist compassion as expressed through social engagement. Several of Ven. Bodhi’s students who read the essay accepted his challenge and joined together to form a Buddhist relief organization.

They chose to focus their efforts on the problem of global hunger, especially by supporting community-based efforts by those in developing countries to achieve self-sufficiency through improved food productivity. Contacts were made with leaders and members of other Buddhist communities in the greater New York area, and before long Buddhist Global Relief emerged as an interdenominational organization comprising people of different Buddhist groups who share the vision of a Buddhism actively committed to the task of alleviating social and economic suffering.