With a vision to inspire individuals to unite and serve for the greater good, BAPS Charities has launched a ‘Days of Giving’ campaign, a donation drive at the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey. The campaign aims to collect school supplies, hygiene products, and canned food items to serve the Boys & Girls Club of Mercer County, HomeFront NJ, Legacy Treatment Services, Rise, Robbinsville Food Pantry, Shine and Inspire, The Rescue Mission of Trenton, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK), and Womanspace Inc. As volunteers and well-wishers arrive from across the country for the opening of Akshardham, they continue to bring these donation items with them to meet the urgent needs of the community.
BAPS Charities has collected nearly 12,000 items, underscoring the spirit of service shared by the community at large. “It was overwhelming to see how so many people are willing to support this cause,” remarked Sweta Patel, who is an Early Childhood Education Coach and coordinator of the collection and delivery efforts for this campaign. “From picking up a few extra food cans while grocery shopping to bringing a suitcase full of school supplies, individuals and families are enthusiastically taking on this opportunity to give back,” she added.
During her visit, Purvi Desai from Houston, Texas, participated in the Days of Giving campaign with her son and daughter. She reflected on the opportunity to give back. “My kids were excited to be part of the campaign as part of the Akshardham opening. This donation drive is a unique opportunity to teach them the value of service. Regardless of who we are and where we live, we can still make a difference in the lives of others.”
Every few days, BAPS Charities’ volunteers deliver these donations to partner organizations. On a recent drop-off, Prutha Patel, a local volunteer and a Pre-med student at New York Institute of Technology, got to meet with the children who will be using the donated school supplies at the Boys & Girls Club of Mercer County. “I’m grateful I had the opportunity to see the impact of this campaign first-hand. It showed me the importance of participating in these kinds of initiatives to support our local community,” she shared.
At the heart of Days of Giving lies the values of unity, compassion, and selfless service, that BAPS Charities has upheld for the last 50 years. In the same spirit of service, BAPS Charities is currently hosting one of the longest-running blood drives in New Jersey, which aims to collect 6,000 pints of blood to help mitigate the state-wide blood shortage. To donate, you can register by clicking here.
If you’re interested in donating, you can drop off school supplies, hygiene products, or canned food items at BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, 112 N Main St, Windsor, NJ 08561, 609-918-1212. Collections will run through October 9th, 2023, and are open to all for participation. Drop-off Point: Welcome Center, 11 am-4 pm, Monday-Thursday (except public holidays)
Alternatively, you may contact our partnering organizations for direct donations:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Mercer County, 212 Centre Street, Trenton, NJ 08611, 609-392-3191
HomeFront NJ, 1880 Princeton Ave., Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, 609-989-9417
Legacy Treatment Services, 1 East Stow Road, Marlton, NJ 08053, 609-267-5656
Rise, 133 Broad Street, Hightstown, NJ 08520, 609-443-4464
Robbinsville Food Pantry, 2298 Route 33, Robbinsville, NJ 08691, 609-259-3600
Shine and Inspire, 106 Straube Center Blvd Ste F121, Pennington, New Jersey, 08534, 609-841-9083
The Rescue Mission of Trenton, 98 Carroll Street, P.O. Box 790, Trenton, NJ 08605, 609-695-1436
Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, 72 Escher St, Trenton, NJ 08609, 609-695-5456
Womanspace, Inc., 1530 Brunswick Avenue, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, 609-394-0136