By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, May 5: As New York continues to be the worst hit region in the world by the Covid-19 pandemic, Tibetan community groups and NGOs in New York and New Jersey (NY&NJ) have sprung into action as its members are delivering home-cooked food and other essentials to frontline workers in the city. The groups have been working around the clock to deliver food to the frontline workers including nurses and policemen, to show gratitude for their services. The Tibetan community in NY is concentrated in and around Woodside, Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights; areas where COVID-19 is widespread.
Sonam Gyaphel, President of the Tibetan Community in NY&NJ, told Phayul, “Through the initiative to express our gratitude to the frontline workers, we have delivered food to the four hospitals in NY including Bellevue hospital, Elmhurst hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Centre, and Hackensack Hospital in New Jersey. In total, we have been able to deliver 1,030 packs of food to these hospitals.” The community has also been working in association with Tibetan Nurses’ Association (TNA) that has helped the Tibetan nurses working in hospitals handling most cases of COVID-19. A hotline has been set up by the association to help its community via Tibetan, English and Nepalese languages to provide accurate information on Covid-19.
Similarly, other groups like the Tibetan Women’s Association (RTWA), Regional Dokham Chushi Gangdruk in NY&NJ also delivered homemade food to the medical workers in the city.
However, in the backdrop, the community is facing challenges to keep the community centre which has become the center-point of the community. The community centre hosts multiple activities like teaching Tibetan language and culture, religious and social gatherings as well to holding ticketed events.
Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) has launched a fundraising campaign to ensure the community can pay the 50,000 USD monthly payment and upkeep. Dorjee Tseten, Executive Director of SFT and Member of Tibetan Parliament in Exile, along with fellow North America MPs Pema Chagzoetsang and Tsewang Rigzin have urged the public to donate. “With help from SFT members and supporters, we launched a fundraising campaign to bolster the Tibetan Community’s urgent response work to fight Covid-19, and ensure the longer-term sustainability of this indispensable institution,” Dorjee Tsetan told Phayul.
Apart from the delivery of free food, the groups have also announced the distribution of thousand face masks to their members on Monday. The Tibetan community centre has become a support system for its vulnerable members as it works towards an effective way to tackle the crises so many immigrant families are facing.
“Queens, where the Tibetan Community and the majority of its twelve thousand members are located has been the worst-hit part of the city by the coronavirus pandemic. At this incredibly difficult time, it is very encouraging to see how the Tibetan Community responded with compassionate actions in supporting not only its members but also healthcare workers and first responders on the frontlines of the battle with the disease,” Dorjee Tseten added.
3 Responses
I think TCNYNJ is doing an incredible job by providing meals to healthcare workers . This is being done by donations they have received for the very purpose of helping the community and healthcare workers . People are volunteering to cook , to deliver so there is no other cost except for the things needed to prepare the meal. We cannot possibly not be part of the greater community that we are as new Yorkers living in NY. God bless and be safe .
1. Refinance the loan to lower the payment when the rate is historically low.
2. Get Sikyong to pay part of it.
3. Seek donation from Gaden Podrang.
4. Get an interest free loan from Youdon Thonden.
5. Get Tibet Fund to cough some money.
6. Seek donation from Karmapa Rinpoche.
The idea of helping out during these tough times are really appreciable. However, i don’t understand the logic behind spending much needed money on “helping the community”, when you can’t even pay off your mortgage and other expenses. I do understand this gesture of gratitude towards the healthcare workers, which they richly deserve, there are various other ways to show your gratitude. The money spent of food, fuel, and transportation, could be saved to pay the mortgage and other expenses. The idea of requesting for donation for mortgage and monthly upkeep on one hand and then spending your scarce and limited resources on the other hand is completely unfeasible. it has taken years, if not decades to finally have a community center. it would be a sin and a disservice to a lot of people to loose it.