CFR Partner Highlight: KPC Buddhist Relief

For August, the CFR team reached out to Dara Tokarz, a new volunteer who joined CFR at the end of June. Dara works with community partnerships and grants at KPC Buddhist Relief, an organization that supports the efforts of other Montgomery County food assistance providers (FAPs). KPC Buddhist Relief was the recipient of a FY24 Food Systems Infrastructure Grant, for their proposal to purchase refrigeration to store the produce they grow and distribute to FAPs. A portion of the funding for the grant program came through CFR. Read on to learn more about the work of KPC and Buddhist Relief, and the organizations they support, some of whom are CFR network members themselves!

Some of the produce from KPC’s Giving Garden. Everything grown here is given to our partner organizations.

Q: How was your organization founded/what is its origin story? And how long have you been in operation?

KPC Buddhist Relief is the humanitarian arm of Kunzang Palyul Choling/KPC Buddhist Temple, which was founded in 1985 by H.E.Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, Spiritual Director of KPC. As part of the Buddhist practice of generosity without attachment, we are taught to be continuously giving, and Jetsunma has always encouraged her students to reach out with compassion to benefit others.

Beginning in the 1990s, KPC worked with the Montgomery County Homestart Program, then in 2005 supported the Hurricane Katrina effort. From 2013 to the start of the pandemic, KPC and Buddhist Relief worked with People Empowering People (PEP), and then in 2021 partnered with United Sikhs to provide humanitarian assistance to support Ukrainians fleeing the war. KPC worked closely with Montgomery County’s County Executive and Interfaith Liaison for over 10 years, with two major focus projects being ending hunger in Montgomery County and welcoming our new neighbors/refugees. It was only a year and a half ago, seeing the effects of both the pandemic and the rise in inflation, particularly in housing and food costs, that Jetsunma began to focus these efforts in earnest to address the food insecurity crisis in Montgomery County and beyond.

Q: What services (food and otherwise) does your organization provide? Can you tell us a little about the other organizations you partner with who provide food services?

We have had a food collection box on our front porch for many years, collecting food for our local pantry, WUMCO Help. During the pandemic, despite issues with supply chains and challenges to get to grocery stores, Jetsunma assembled a crate of food each day that was delivered to the Upcounty Hub, which was formed during this time to distribute food to those in need. Jetsunma’s intention was to provide a selection of nutritious food that would last a family several days. After several months of receiving a daily crate with regularity, Marko Rivero-Oven, director of the Hub, realized that these food items could be the beginnings of a Choice Pantry, which would provide individuals and families with foods they were familiar with and would use.

Jetsunma realized that working with established partner organizations was the most efficient and effective way to be of benefit. Providing regular deliveries of food to partners to alleviate hunger was just the first step. But she soon realized we had the opportunity to fill a greater need by providing items not usually available through their food bank allocations, such as cultural foods, condiments, seasonings, and fresh produce, as well as clothing and hygiene items. Our partner organizations are:

• WUMCO Help*
• Poolesville Little Free Pantry
• The Upcounty Hub*
• Shepherd’s Table*
• The First Baptist Church of Silver Spring
• Miriam’s Kitchen
• IROC (Immigrant and Refugee Outreach Center)
• a Germantown-based coalition serving West African immigrants and refugees

*CFR Recipient

We have also answered the call for needs for cold-weather clothing, hygiene items, supplies for families moving into new housing, holiday food items for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and toy drives.

These partnerships are a win/win situation for all involved, and we are grateful for the opportunity to benefit clients and meal guests we would not be able to on our own.

KPC hosting the Upcounty Hub last July.

Q: How did you hear about Community Food Rescue (CFR?)

We were interested in finding ways to get more fresh produce to our partner organizations, and Jetsunma had encouraged us to make connections with local farmers. Marko from the Upcounty Hub connected us with Annarose and Morgan at Manna/CFR. With our location in the Agricultural Reserve and our partner model of support, they suggested becoming a CFR volunteer. This program has allowed Buddhist Relief to connect with local farmers and provide more produce to many of our partners.

Buddhist Relief’s story shows how food assistance efforts can be amplified when we work together as a cohesive network to address food insecurity. We are so grateful to have Dara and KPC Buddhist Relief as part of the CFR network!

Maryland State Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo with Buddhist Relief’s Tara Wise and a baby goat.