Sikh worshipers donate 25,000 bottles of water to Wheeler Mission center

INDIANAPOLIS — The Sikh community dedicated this Sunday to serving the community, they did so by donating 25,000 bottles of water to Wheeler Mission.

"Among the Sikhs serving other is an important pillar of the faith,” K.P. Singh with the Sikh Satsang Gurdwara said. “Remembering God, righteous living and serving and sharing."

Outside of service being a pillar of the Sikh faith, Sunday also commemorated a tragedy that took the lives of Sikhs practicing their faith.

"Today has been designated as a service day nationwide by the Sikh national organization in honor of and in memory of the seven innocent lives that were lost in Oak Creek Wisconsin seven years ago,” said Singh.

The Sikh community hopes giving back will help people unfamiliar with their religion understand their mission and realize we are all more alike than we are different.

"We are just the same as you are we are really here as good Hoosiers and loyal Americans,” Singh said. “We are here to serve not to just fulfill our own dreams but fulfill our collective dreams as Hoosiers and Americans."

As for the Wheeler Mission, they say donations like this are vital.

"We've had an unusually warm summer,” Sam Brown, the director of food service for Wheeler Mission Ministries, said. “For the homeless community, extreme weather presents challenges whether it's extreme hot or extreme cold. “

They hope two faith organizations working together will encourage others to learn more about someone who is different than they are.

"At the end of the day we all have more in common then we realize,” said Brown. “Sometimes other faiths do get ridiculed or sometimes even belittled because of their beliefs. The Sikh community is showing unconditional love to the homeless community today.”

If you are interested in donating to the Wheeler Mission, click here.