More than 20 volunteers from the Sikh community lent their helping hands for September’s wheat harvest near Namao.
The volunteers are members of the Nanaksar Gurdwara Gursikh Sikh Temple in northeast Edmonton near Manning Drive, in an area called Horse Hills.
Volunteers, from young men in their 20s to retirees in their late 60s, joined in the effort, coming from all over Canada and even as far away as England, said Jagdev Dhillon, one of the temple’s directors.
Nanaksar Gurdwara has temples in cities including Richmond B.C., Winnipeg, Man., Etobicoke, Ont. and the West Midlands County of England. Serving a Sikh community of more than 12,000, Nanaksar Gurdwara is the largest of four temples in Edmonton.
The temple itself sits on 85 acres of land. It owns other parcels in the region, with the largest portions being in Sturgeon County, near Namao and the Sturgeon Industrial Park.
Dhillon explained that one crop is grown every year. Last year it was canola and this year it’s wheat. These types of crops, which are grown on 1,100 acres near Highway 28 and Highway 37, are easy to seed and easy to harvest for volunteers.
The wheat is sold and the money goes back to the temple, he said.
“Everybody is well looked after and they enjoy their trip,” said Dhillon, adding that volunteers come for periods ranging from 10 days to four weeks. The majority stay for three weeks and reside with family members in Edmonton.
