Jain community packs 10,000 meals for Refugees

 I admit that I didn't know much about Jains and Jainism before this event.

Jainism is an ancient religion from India that teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live lives of harmlessness and renunciation. The essence of Jainism is concern for the welfare of every being in the universe and for the health of the universe itself.

In this video, Atul Shah from the Jain Society of Greater Cleveland told of the 3 main principles of Jainism: Strict non-violence, Many-sided Reality and Non-attachment to possessions. Jains go beyond being vegans - what he called Jain Vegan where even root vegetables are not eaten. He estimates there are 350 or so Jains in the Cleveland area.

On Saturday August 6 the Jain Society of Greater Cleveland held a working event at the Jain Temple in Richfield Ohio called Compassion in Action where the group packed 10,000 Meals for Refugees around the World. Joining them was Richfield Mayor Michael Wheeler and his wife.

Watch a video of the workers packing meals.

See more about Jains and the Meals for Refugees