HELPING HANDS NEWSLETTER
Summer 2026 • Volume 18, Number 2
Tending the Seeds of Compassion: Reflections on the BGR Retreat at Redwood Vihara
In May, nearly 18 years to the day since Buddhist Global Relief was founded, members of the Board of Directors, staff, and volunteer team joined the newly formed Sangha Council for a weekend retreat at Redwood Vihara monastery in Boulder Creek, California. In this essay, Vice-Chair David Braughton shares his reflections on this joyous and fruitful event.
Strengthening Detroit’s Food System from the Ground Up
In Detroit, Michigan, almost 70 percent of households experience food insecurity, and 30,000 residents lack access to full-service supermarkets. Longtime BGR partner Keep Growing Detroit provides not only fresh produce but also education, resources, and connection for urban gardeners and other city residents.
Seeking a Buddhist Public Theology
How should Buddhism engage with the critical issues currently facing this country and our world? Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi proposes the need for a “Buddhist public theology,” an ethical lens through which Buddhist teachers and thinkers can evaluate public issues in light of the Buddha’s teachings.
The Iran War’s Hidden Toll: Crisis-Level Hunger for Millions of People
On February 28 of this year, the U.S. and Israel launched Operation Epic Fury in Iran, beginning a war that cost thousands of lives, including those of an estimated 1,700 Iranian civilians. But the war’s tragic impacts are not limited to those suffered in Iran. Among the most devastating of these is a surge in the number of people facing crisis levels of hunger worldwide. Even if the ceasefire holds, the effects of the three-month closure of the Strait of Hormuz are likely to continue to resonate throughout the coming year.
BGR Community: Education for Girls, Food for Their Families in Cambodia
Chhorn Dim lives with her elderly parents in Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia, where she takes care of her nieces and nephews. Through an innovative BGR project with Lotus Outreach Australia, Chhorn receives not only scholarship funds but rice support for her family.
BGR Board Approves 58 Projects for 2026 at Annual Meeting
BGR’s Board approved 58 projects that will provide food, children’s education, vocational training for women, and sustainable agriculture support for thousands of people in need in 22 countries around the world. Funding to support the upcoming year’s projects exceeded $1.3 million—all made possible by the generosity of our donors.
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, USA.
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