"Manava Seva is Madhava Seva"
Sri Sathya Sai Baba
If you are interested in participating in any of the activities, please reach for SSSBC Seva Coordinator at service@bethesdasaicenter.org.
“Service is the highest spiritual discipline. Prayer and meditation, or knowledge of scripture and Vedanta (holy scriptures of India), cannot help you reach the goal as quickly as service can. Service has a double effect, it extinguishes the ego and gives bliss.”
- Baba
Members of SSSBC are involved in both regularly scheduled service activities throughout the year as well as special programs delivered on an occasional or seasonal basis.
The regularly conducted program include at center and cluster level:
| Cluster Name | Service Activity | Service Description | Frequency | No of Volunteers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germantown | FFO(P3) | Donation of non perishable meals for school children | Monthly | 6 to 10 |
| Brown bag preparation | Brown bags containing few items are used for Narayana Seva | 4 times in a year | 6 to 10 | |
| Service for Sunrise Senior Living Center | Visit for senior persons | Monthly | 2 | |
| N. Potomac | FFO(P3) | Donation of non perishable meals for school children | Monthly | 6 to 10 |
| Brown bag preparation | Brown bags containing few items are used for Narayana Seva | 4 times in a year | 6 to 10 | |
| Service at Casa De Maryland | Donation of breakfast | Quarterly | 6 to 10 | |
| Bethesda | Smart Sacks for Glen Haven School | Providing nutritious weekend meals to needy students | Weekly | 6 to 8 |
| Brown bag preparation | Brown bags containing few items are used for Narayana Seva | 4 times in a year | 6 to 10 | |
| Service at Coalition For Homeless | Homeless outreach | Quarterly | 1 | |
| Service at Rotary Intl. | Eye Glass sorting and cleaning | As Needed | 10 | |
| Housing for Homeless (County/BC) | Housing for homeless people | On going | 2 | |
| Gaithersburg | FFO(P3) | Donation of non perishable meals for school children | Monthly | 6 to 10 |
| Brown bag preparation | Brown bags containing few items are used for Narayana Seva | 4 times in a year | 6 to 10 | |
| Home based Eye Glass Service | Sorting, cleaning and drying of eye glasses, required for developing countries | Quarterly | 8 to 15 | |
| Columbia | FFO(P3) | Donation of non perishable meals for school children | Monthly | 6 to 10 |
| Brown bag preparation | Brown bags containing few items are used for Narayana Seva | 4 times in a year | 6 to 10 | |
| Service for Grassroots Shelter | Lunch service | Monthly | 7 | |
| Service for Grassroots Shelter | Mentoring children | As needed | 3 to 5 | |
| Virginia | FFO(P3) | Donation of non perishable meals for school children | Monthly | 6 to 10 |
| Brown bag preparation | Brown bags containing few items are used for Narayana Seva | 4 times in a year | 6 to 10 | |
| Service at Hypothermia center (Reston) | Serving dinner | 3 - 4 times in a year | 4 to 6 | |
| Sunrise senior community | Visit senior persons | Weekly | 2 to 4 | |
| Service - Computer core | Computer basics to low income folks | 2 times in a week | 1 to 2 | |
| Service at Asha | Volunteering for women | As needed | 1 |
| Serial | Service Activity | Service description | Frequency | No of volunteers / Contributors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Narayana Seva | Cooking and serving food at DC parks and shelters. | Monthly (2 times) | 10 to 15 |
| 2 | Eye Glass Service | Sorting, cleaning and drying of eye glasses, required for developing countries. | Monthly | 8 to 12 |
| 3 | Service Activity for ECHO | Collection drive of canned goods and personal items for low income people. | Monthly | 5 to 10 |
| 4 | Service Activity at Comfort Cases (National Center) | Processing donations, counting inventory, assembling bags, checking packed cases and arrangement of deliveries for foster children | Depending on availability (Usually 2/3 times in a year) | 10 to 15 |
| 5 | Book Donation service | Collection and donation of school and undergraduate level books of different subjects for needy students at Gaithersburg Elementary School, Turning The Page (Washington DC), Montgomary College (Rockville Campus) and Maryland Book Bank. | 2/3 times in a year | 6 to 8 |
| 6 | Service for NIH Children's Inn | Food drive for needy children | 2 times in a year | 5 to 10 |
| 7 | Fall School Supplies Donation | Donation of school supplies for needy students of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) | Once in a year | 10 to 15 |
| 8 | Medical Camp | Health Screening of patients with other Sai Centers | Once in a year | |
| 9 | Service Activity at Manna Food Center | Sorting and packing of non-perishable foods which will later be distributed to needy people of Montgomery County | Depending on availability (Usually 2/3 times in a year) | 15 to 20 |
| 10 | Lunch / dinner service | Cooking and serving food at Montgomery County Coalition For The Homeless (MCCH) | 2/3 times in a year | 15-Oct |
| 11 | Cloth Donation Service | Donation of new and gently used clothes at National Children's Center and Interfaith Works | 1/2 times in a year | 5 to 10 |
| 12 | Winter Care Kits / Blanket distribution | Donation of winter care kits and blanket at Washington DC area | Once in a year | 8 to 10 |
| 13 | Shoe Collection Drive | Doation of new and gently used shoes at Rukundo International | Once in a year | 5 to 10 |
| 14 | Environmental Service | Potomac Watershed Clean Up Service Activity | Once in a year | 10 to 15 |
| 15 | Fall Gleaning Seva | Gleaning of vegetables at Miller Farms. | Once in a year | 10 to 15 |
| 16 | knitting Baby Hats Workshop | The center knitting group "Knots of Love" to knit baby hats to be donated to needy mothers | Once in a month | 11 to 15 |