Shalinder Singh is among the Sikhs suburban Detroit, who have been paying for and delivering hundreds of pies to hospitals, police stations and fire departments since the gurdwara suspended in-person services.
Singh and his family wanted to carry on a tenet of their faith: helping others through langar, the communal meal shared by all who come. “It just popped up in my mind, this is the time to take care of the heroes in the front,” said Singh, the 40-year-old owner of a pet products company. “I spoke to a couple of doctors and they said pizza is the best because they’re working 12 to 16 hours and they don’t have time to sit and eat.”
The family have delivered more than 1,000 pizzas since early April, with no plans to slow down. They drive as much as an hour to spread their pizza love once a week, as Singh continues to run his business, which is classified as essential.
“We’re trying to go to areas that aren’t getting much food,” Singh said. In New York, 25-year-old Japneet Singh, a fellow Sikh, also thought of pizza for under-resourced hospitals and overworked, minimum wage employees in the crosshairs of the virus.
DIngh has recently worked as a field supervisor for the U.S. Census Bureau and drove an Uber on the side while searching for his passion. After the coronavirus struck, he lost his work. Yet, in the South Ozone Park neighborhood of Queens, Singh’s heart went out to the desperate staff at Elmhurst Hospital Center and other hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19.