By Nityananda Chandra Dasa,
Adi Purusa Dasa, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda, has been at the forefront of prasadam distribution in New York City for more than 26 years. Alongside this service, he operates several hostels in the city, engaging guests directly in seva while helping sustain a steady, weekly prasadam outreach. In a recent interview with Nityananda Chandra Dasa, Adi Purusa reflects on the vision, challenges, and continuity of this remarkable, uninterrupted service in the heart of the Big Apple.
Chandra: How long have you been distributing free hot meals at Tompkins Square Park?
Adi: Bhaktivedanta Swami, a.k.a. Śrīla Prabhupāda, started this program of distributing vegetarian food 55 years ago, in 1965. We have continued this endeavor steadily as Interfaith Community Services for the past 25 years, rain or shine.
Chandra: Can you tell us more about Interfaith Community Services?
Adi: Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we gather at our kitchen in the Lower East Side with cooks and volunteers to prepare healthy, flavorful, and balanced vegetarian meals for anyone who is hungry.
At 9:00 a.m., we head to the southwestern corner of Tompkins Square Park and offer any arrangement of our meals free to anyone who is there. If someone wants three containers of salad, two containers of vegetable curries, two containers of rice, and one cake, we give it to them.
As everyone comes through the line, we take their order and prepare it according to their preference. We feel that God’s love is distributed through service, and we want people to know that God loves them.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/over-26-years-of-prasadam-service-in-the-heart-of-nyc/
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