An unprecedented, wonderful get together by VSF. hope all the attendees had a blast and for the people who missed this year, we will see you next year.

Please see if you are caught on the camera. 
 
https://photos.app.goo.gl/G9YHNmSTC6LD1H859

WE NEED A VOLUNTEER FOR PHOTOS LAYOUT FOR THE NEWSLETTER

Upcoming events:
 
1. Community Outreach .. happening regularly ... Subscribe to VSF cares Whatsapp Group
2.  Look out for Blanket Drive info, VSF holiday party

What happened in Aug/Sept/Oct

1. VSF Annual Day Picnic Photos below
2. VSF cares !! by Smt. Varsha Garu
3. Ammavaru Alamkaram during Navarathri
4. Readers Corner -- A must read

Members accomplishment (not VSF sponsored)
1. Grand Canyon R2R2R hike
2. Gokul Donthi 50K Run

1. The get together/picnic was organized by the EC team and  a whole bunch of volunteers.  A very big thanks to ALL of them, you could see many of them in the photos.  The EVENT started on time! Food was served on time!, people were all SMILES, Kids had fun, Seniors had fun.  Please email to info@vsfbayarea.org on how we can make it BETTER next time and what will add value to you!  One of the attendee Anusha N, has her perspective please read and let her know your comments.
 

2. VSF cares about the unfortunate, it is happening so regularly at so many locations, its mind boggling, please get involved.  Any service has two rewards, one who receives and one to you.  There is no better feeling than feeling good about yourself.  Please join VSF cares whatsapp group for details or request info at info@vsfbayarea.org

Annadanam for the Homeless (by Smt. Varsha P)

         I have lived in Bay Area for 20 + years but it was only 4 years back that I realized the gravity of the homelessness situation in bay area. As of January 2019, in Santa Clara county alone there are more than 9,000 homeless people, a 31% increase from 2017. The surrounding counties have similar numbers. 

Homelessness is a big issue that needs to be tackled by various means and one of the ways we as individuals can help is by cooking and serving nutritious food. There is an ancient saying in India that goes like this: Anna daanam maha daanam - Annadaanam meaning offering free food to the hungry is the highest service to mankind. We always practice this in India during happy, sad or religious events. So, why not practice it here too? 

                 We as a family have been volunteering in shelters, cooking and serving food for the homeless. It has been an immensely fulfilling experience to see the joy on people’s faces as we serve them. We have heard from a lot of them that this is the only proper meal they have on that day. If not for our meal they would have eaten a peanut butter sandwich or sometimes not even that. We are amazed at the kind of people we meet at the shelters. There are old and young people and sometimes even kids, there are disabled veterans who fought for our country, 

there are also very educated people who lost their job due to lay offs or health issues. Most importantly we can see that there are people just like you and me, who became homeless due to unfortunate circumstances. We learnt through this experience not to judge anyone but to wholeheartedly serve them a good meal. 

           We have always believed in donating money to organizations both in India and in the US. Now we have also found great joy in cooking and serving those in need right here in our own community because we can see, first hand, the people we are helping. This feeling of fulfillment makes us want to go back to do this service, time and again! 

Varsha P

Gokul Garu's experience on 50K run, very motivating

I had never been a runner, but in 2017, I was convinced by my coworkers and the coaches at a run kickoff to join the team with a goal to get in shape. I started off according to my fitness level with shorter runs, but nobody would believe what I would accomplish in a little over two years and it was not easy! Things started off well, but about one

year into my training I experienced some injuries which almost derailed me. But through the proper changes to my training and knowledge gained by all runners over time, I was able to get through them and continue on.

I saw an update on the VSF runners group about one of our runners doing a 50k for their milestone birthday! This motivated me to do this as well for my milestone year! On Saturday, September 21, I completed the Coastal Trail Run 50K in the Marin Headlands. This is no ordinary race. It is a 31 mile race up and down rugged trails with 6000+ feet elevation gain, that are often times extremely steep, with loose rock and unstable conditions. I was able to accomplish in under 4 months of consistent practice of 22+ miles per week on a schedule. Though the trail run was brutal and treacherous, the views of the Stinson beach, Rodeo Beach, SF golden gate and the beautiful mountains were awesome making my 50k finish goal memorable for my lifetime.

In only two years, I have finished 2 Full Marathons, 6 Half Marathons,  2 Golden Gate Relays (200+miles with VSF runners team) and now my first 50K and also closing in on my year's goal of 1000 run miles.

I would say, most of us are strong enough to take on running for their fitness and wellness. There are lot of running groups that can support you to achieve your goals. This is one athletic sport that can keep you fit, keep you active today and tomorrow.  Good luck on your journey. You just need a good pair of shoes!  Pics below.

Gokul

4. Readers Corner by Anusha on Picnic

A day to remember:
On September 14, 2019 VSF hosted the annual picnic filled with food, games and raffle tickets giveaways every half hour! Over 700 vasaviets attended this grand event despite facing a massive heat wave making it a huge success.
The event had at least 6 to 7 open stalls at any given point which had saree and jewelry stores, dental sign-up and realty consultancy booths, snacks and soft drinks booths, popcorn and shaved ice booths for kids, tea and buttermilk stations and many more. While the Kids had fun playing games organized by the volunteers the elders on the other side did not miss out on the fun too! There were different games organized for kids and elders in different places giving everyone a chance to enjoy, play and win attractive prizes!
All of this fun would not have been possible without the remarkable efforts of the volunteers and core team members (including kids!) who worked silently while allowing the rest to let loose and enjoy! From making sure that every single person is checked in with a yellow band for identification to arranging not just one but two photo booths, coming up with the theme for the event and organizing mass games like Bingo where over 400 people participated was not an easy task!
One of the attendees expressed that this event took them back to India, gave an opportunity to connect and network within the community whilst also having fun! Leaving us with one question to answer, who wouldn’t want to have more of such fun filled picnics?
If you unfortunately missed this wonderful event, not to worry, below are some of the pictures cherishing the moments of the event:
Cheers 
 AN