Utah Sikhs bring warmth to holiday season, donate 500 blankets to the homeless

Members of the Taylorsville temple “just want to help fellow Americans.”

By Scott D. Pierce | Dec. 24, 2021, 3:06 p.m.

Five hundred homeless people in Utah are now a bit warmer, thanks to the Sikh Temple of Utah.

Members of the temple raised money to buy 500 wool blankets, which were distributed to people at several homeless camps in Salt Lake City.

“It was just incredibly generous,” said Carin Crowe, senior director of operations at Salt Lake Valley Habitat for Humanity. “The blankets were absolutely for people who were weathering the worst of the storms out there.”

It’s hardly the first time the Sikhs have made a donation like this. Members of the temple have been doing it for many years. It’s part of their religious beliefs.

“We believe in service, community, helping the needy,” said Push Singh. “So that’s what we do every year. We just want to help fellow Americans.”

Sikhs trace their religious roots to northern India. They make up the fifth-largest organized religion in the world, according to the Sikh Coalition, and there are about half a million Sikhs in the United States.

{snip}

spierce@sltrib.com
Follow @ScottDPierce