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Gurdwaras-turned-food banks: Sikh temples are catering for rise in Britain's hungry
Each week across the UK, around 5,000 vegetarian meals are served to the needy
It is lunchtime at the Karamsar Gurdwara, where worshippers are tucking into the free food. But Sikhs are not the only ones enjoying the temple meals. Religious leaders report that an increasing number of non-believers are visiting their place of worship to eat, treating them as food banks while the effects of austerity and economic slump bite.
The Sikh Federation UK estimates that around 5,000 meals are now served to non-Sikhs by Britain's 250 gurdwaras each week. They say the meals have been a lifeline for homeless people and overseas students swamped in debt.
Harmander Singh, who worships at the Karamsar Gurdwara in east London and is a spokesman for the Sikhs In England think-tank, said: "It's noticeable: more people coming in and more people coming frequently. Some are working in low-paid jobs, cannot afford lunch and come here to subsidise living costs. They are also women with kids."
He said that Sikhs welcome anyone into the gurdwara as long as they are not drunk, they remove their shoes and cover their head, adding: "It's not a free buffet, it's a way of serving the community."