HELPING HANDS NEWSLETTER
Fall 2026 • Volume 18, Number 3
Rejoicing in Goodness
By Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi • The heart of the Buddha’s teaching, the framework of the four noble truths, begins with dukkha, the truth of suffering. Dukkha is the thorn embedded in our flesh, the swarm of mosquitoes biting our arms and legs, the shadow that trails us even when we bask in the sunlight. Suffering, however, is not the final word the Buddha leaves to us.
Why We Cannot Wait
Look into the eyes of hunger, and chances are you will see a child staring back. Now imagine a flood, war, or other disaster striking, tipping the scale from bare survival to almost certain starvation. In times of the most urgent need, BGR's crisis response support is saving lives.
Feeding Families in Urgent Need in Gaza
Since 2024, BGR has supported World Central Kitchen’s hunger-relief work in Gaza, where widespread infrastructure destruction, population displacement, and the blockade of humanitarian aid has caused hunger so severe that famine was declared in August 2025. In response to this crisis, a BGR grant provided more than 200,000 loaves of bread to Palestinian families in need.
Kim Behan Receives Inaugural ‘Compassion Weaver’ Honor from the Global Compassion Coalition
This fall, the GCC introduced a new initiative “to recognize and celebrate people who serve as ambassadors of kindness, justice, and inclusion.” The first person to be honored as a Compassion Weaver is BGR executive director Kim Behan, for her “steady commitment to service [that] has helped transform thousands of lives.”
Responding to the Disaster in Nepal
On August 26, a landslide and glacial collapse on Langtang Lirung destroyed roads, bridges, buildings, and in some cases entire communities. An estimated 32,000 people have been displaced from their homes, and more than 84,000 people are still in need of immediate humanitarian assistance.
Mettā, or Loving-Kindness
On September 12, 2026, the worldwide BGR community gathered online for the first session in our series The Brahma Vihāras, a Divine Dwelling in This Very Life. Titled Mettā, or Loving-Kindness, this online event was led by BGR Sangha Council members Vens. Thubten Monlam and Thubten Lamsel. Watch a recording of the event here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Buddhist Global Relief funds projects providing food, education, and other necessary support to the world’s most vulnerable people. Many of the communities we serve worldwide are experiencing hunger and malnutrition due to deeply entrenched poverty, systemic inequality, and environmental degradation. If you have the ability to help, please consider making a donation to BGR. You can contribute by PayPal or credit card here or by check mailed to our secured Chase Bank lockbox at: Buddhist Global Relief, P.O. Box 24832, New York, NY 10087-4832 USA. Please continue to send all other mail to: Buddhist Global Relief, 2020 Route 301, Carmel, NY 10512-3447, USA.
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