DIWALI BASKETS


Association of Indians in America � South Jersey Chapter (AIA-SJ) is very proud to announce its annual �Diwali Basket Thank You� program for local firefighters, emergency responders and public officials to several communities and townships in New Jersey.

AIA-SJ will be presenting Diwali baskets this year in the following townships: West Windsor, East Windsor, Franklin Lakes, Fairfield, Hopewell, Lawrence, Middletown, Pennington, Montgomery ,Iselin, Cherry Hill, Voorhees, Moorestown, Monroe, Milltown, North Brunswick, Princeton, South Brunswick, Trenton and Robbinsville. In several of these townships, multiple Diwali baskets will be provided to different volunteer groups in the community.

Pictures from the event can be found here.

Community responses can be found here.

Funding for the baskets was made possible by the generosity of local Indian families in each of these communities. A total of 27 baskets were put together for 20 towns by AIA-SJ volunteers, containing familiar American holiday treats such as chocolates, cookies, nuts and party snack mixes among others. Each basket will be delivered with a Diwali card and a ceremonial lighting of a decorative earthen lamp.

This program was first started in Hopewell Township, NJ in 2002. It is an outgrowth of a few families getting together after 9/11 on how to get Asian-Indian families more involved at the local community level, thank and make local community officials and volunteers more familiar with the Asian-Indian culture and traditions. The Diwali Basket program is just one of several AIA-SJ initiatives to better inform the local communities of the Asian-Indian holiday traditions.

AIA is a national organization. It is the oldest association of Asian Indians in America, having been established in 1967 to help them become a part of the mainstream of American life while being united by their common bond of Indian heritage and American commitment.

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