Gurdwara Prabh Milne Ka Chao Meditation Society
Guru Ka Langar
The Free Kitchen That Feeds Everyone — No Exceptions
“First sit, then eat.” — The Sikh tradition of equality
Every single day, 365 days a year, we serve free, nutritious, vegetarian meals to anyone who walks through our doors.
Rich or poor. Sikh or Christian. Friend or stranger. Employed or homeless. Young or old. Everyone sits together on the same floor, eating the same simple food, reminding us that we are all equal in the eyes of the Divine.
[Find Langar Hours →] | [Volunteer Today →] | [Sponsor a Meal →]
WHAT IS LANGAR?
More Than Just a Free Meal
Langar is not a soup kitchen. It is not charity. It is not “food for the poor.”
Langar is a spiritual practice.
The word “Langar” means “anchor” or “alchemy” — because this simple meal has the power to transform egos into humility, strangers into family, and hierarchies into equality.
Langar was established over 500 years ago by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism. At a time when India was divided by caste, Guru Nanak created a radical institution: a free kitchen where everyone, without exception, sits together and eats the same food.
Today, every Gurdwara around the world serves Langar. It is funded entirely by donations and run entirely by volunteers.
At Gurdwara Prabh Milne Ka Chao Meditation Society, we serve Langar every single day — because hunger does not take a holiday, and neither does our commitment to Seva (selfless service).
THE THREE PRINCIPLES OF LANGAR
Why Langar Matters
| Principle | Meaning | What It Looks Like |
| Equality (Samta) | No one is superior or inferior by birth | Everyone sits on the floor in straight rows (pangat). No reserved seats. No VIP sections. |
| Community (Sangat) | We are stronger together | Volunteers cook, serve, and clean together. Strangers become friends over a shared meal. |
| Selfless Service (Seva) | Serve without expecting anything in return | No one is paid. Everyone volunteers. The person serving you might be a doctor, a student, or a CEO. |
DAILY LANGAR SCHEDULE
What We Serve & When
| Meal | Time | Typical Menu |
| Breakfast | 7:00 AM – 8:30 AM | Chai (tea), bread, porridge, or aloo paratha |
| Lunch | 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM | Dal (lentils), roti (bread), sabzi (vegetables), rice, kheer (rice pudding) |
| Dinner | 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM | Simple vegetarian meal (varies by day) |
Special Weekend Langar (Sunday):
- 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM (after weekly Diwan)
- Extra dishes: Kadhi pakora, chole bhature, or halwa puri
Langar is always:
- ✅ 100% Vegetarian (no eggs, no meat, no fish)
- ✅ Lactose-free options available
- ✅ Nut-free options available
- ✅ Gluten-free options (rice-based) available
Allergen Notice: Please inform volunteers if you have food allergies.
BEHIND THE SCENES
How We Serve 500+ Meals Daily
You might wonder: How does a small Gurdwara feed hundreds of people every single day?
The answer is volunteers, discipline, and love.
4:00 AM — The Kitchen Wakes Up
While most of Edmonton is still sleeping, our first volunteers arrive. They light the stove, boil water for chai, and begin chopping vegetables for the day’s dal.
First meal served: Breakfast at 7:00 AM.
9:00 AM — Lunch Prep Begins
By mid-morning, the kitchen is buzzing. Volunteers peel potatoes, chop onions, knead dough for rotis, and stir massive pots of dal (each pot feeds 150+ people).
Fun fact: We go through 50 kg of flour, 30 kg of lentils, and 40 kg of vegetables every single day.
12:00 PM — Lunch Langar Begins
The Langar hall fills with sangat. Families arrive. Seniors find their spots. Children run to sit with their friends. Volunteers form an assembly line: one person places rotis on plates, another adds dal, another adds sabzi, another adds rice. Someone pours water. Someone offers kheer for dessert.
Everyone eats together. No questions asked. No registration required. No payment expected.
1:30 PM — Cleanup
After the last person finishes eating, volunteers wash hundreds of steel plates, bowls, and glasses. The floor is swept and mopped. The kitchen is sanitized.
Then they rest for two hours — before starting dinner prep at 4:00 PM.
7:00 PM — Dinner Langar
A lighter meal — perhaps khichdi (rice and lentils), or roti with sabzi. Families with young children, seniors, and people returning from work fill the hall.
9:00 PM — The Kitchen Closes (Until Tomorrow)
The last dishes are washed. The floor is cleaned. The lights are turned off.
Tomorrow at 4:00 AM, it begins again.
HOW YOU CAN EXPERIENCE LANGAR
Three Ways to Be Part of Our Langar Family
1. Come Eat (No Strings Attached)
You do not need to be Sikh. You do not need to donate. You do not need to volunteer.
Simply walk in during Langar hours. Cover your head (scarves available). Remove your shoes. Wash your hands. Sit anywhere on the floor alongside our sangat. A volunteer will bring you a plate of food.
Eat in silence or in conversation. Stay for five minutes or an hour.
First time visitor? Tell a volunteer. They will guide you.
2. Volunteer in Langar (Seva)
Seva is the highest meditation.
You do not need any experience. You do not need to know how to cook. You do not need to speak Punjabi. You just need a willing heart.
| Role | What You Will Do | Time Commitment |
| Kitchen Prep | Chop vegetables, knead dough, measure spices | 2 hours (morning or afternoon) |
| Cook | Stir pots, manage stoves, cook dal/roti/sabzi | 3 hours (must have cooking experience) |
| Server | Plate food, serve rotis, pour water, offer dessert | 1.5 hours (lunch or dinner) |
| Cleaner | Wash dishes, sweep floor, sanitize tables | 1.5 hours (after meals) |
| Food Runner | Bring plates to people sitting on the floor | 1.5 hours |
No registration needed for most roles. Just show up and ask for the Langar coordinator.
For groups (schools, companies, community organizations): Please book in advance at volunteers@gurdwaraprabhmilneka.org
3. Sponsor a Langar Day
Feed hundreds of people in memory of a loved one, in celebration of a birthday, or simply as an act of generosity.
When you sponsor a Langar day:
- Your name (or your loved one’s name) is announced before the meal
- A special Ardas (prayer) is offered
- You receive a tax receipt for the full amount
Cost to sponsor a full day of Langar (all meals): $500 CAD
Cost to sponsor a single meal (lunch or dinner): $250 CAD
Cost to sponsor breakfast: $100 CAD
[Sponsor a Langar Day →] | [Contact Langar Coordinator →]
LANGAR ETIQUETTE
What You Need to Know Before You Come
| Do | Don’t |
| ✅ Cover your head (scarves available at entrance) | ❌ Wear shoes inside the Langar hall |
| ✅ Remove your shoes (shoe racks provided) | ❌ Waste food — take only what you will eat |
| ✅ Wash your hands before eating | ❌ Leave dirty plates on the floor (return to washing area) |
| ✅ Sit on the floor (chairs available for seniors/disabled) | ❌ Bring alcohol, tobacco, or non-vegetarian food onto premises |
| ✅ Eat with your hands or use spoons (both fine) | ❌ Talk loudly during Ardas (prayer time) |
| ✅ Ask for seconds (we want you to be full) | ❌ Feel obligated to donate (donations are voluntary) |
Children are welcome. If they make noise or spill food — do not worry. We have seen everything.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (LANGAR)
| Question | Answer |
| Do I need to be Sikh to eat Langar? | No. Langar is for everyone. All faiths. No faith. Everyone. |
| Do I need to pay? | No. Langar is always 100% free. |
| Do I need to register or book? | No. Just walk in during Langar hours. |
| Is the food vegetarian? | Yes. No meat, no fish, no eggs. |
| Do you accommodate allergies? | Yes. We have lactose-free, nut-free, and gluten-free options. Ask a volunteer. |
| Can I take food home? | Yes, if there is extra. Bring your own container. |
| Can I bring my own food to eat? | No. Outside food is not permitted in the Langar hall. |
| Is Langar served during COVID/flu season? | Yes. Enhanced sanitation measures are in place. Masks recommended but not required. |
| Can I volunteer without being Sikh? | Yes. All volunteers welcome regardless of faith. |
| Do I have to speak Punjabi? | No. Many volunteers speak English. |
[Full FAQ Page →]
THE HISTORY OF LANGAR
A 500-Year-Old Tradition of Radical Equality
Year 1500s — Punjab, South Asia
Society is divided by caste. “Untouchables” are not allowed to eat with upper castes. They drink from separate cups. They sit on separate floors. They are treated as less than human.
Guru Nanak Dev Ji watches this injustice and declares: “All humans are equal in the eyes of God.”
He establishes the first Langar. He sits on the floor with everyone — rich and poor, high caste and “untouchable.” He serves food with his own hands. He says: “First sit, then eat. Here, there is no high, no low.”
Over 500 years later, every Gurdwara in every country serves Langar. The tradition has never stopped — not during wars, not during pandemics, not during natural disasters.
Today, at Gurdwara Prabh Milne Ka Chao Meditation Society, we continue this sacred tradition. Our sangat — our community — sits together every single day, breaking bread and breaking down walls.
LANGAR AROUND THE WORLD
The Global Reach of Guru Ka Langar
| Location | Fact |
| Golden Temple, Amritsar, India | Serves 100,000+ free meals EVERY DAY. Largest free kitchen in the world. |
| Gurdwara Sahib, Southall, London | Serves 10,000 meals weekly to people of all faiths. |
| Gurdwara Sahib, Fremont, California | Serves 5,000 meals weekly; 40% of recipients are non-Sikh. |
| Gurdwara Sahib, Surrey, BC | Serves 3,000 meals daily during holidays. |
| Gurdwara Prabh Milne Ka Chao, Edmonton | Serves 500 meals daily – and growing! |
During natural disasters, Sikh volunteers from Gurdwaras around the world have set up mobile Langar kitchens in Hurricane Katrina, Haiti earthquake, Nepal earthquake, Alberta wildfires, COVID-19 pandemic, and Turkey-Syria earthquake.
TESTIMONIALS
What Our Sangat Says About Langar
“I was homeless for three months last winter. The Langar at this Gurdwara was the only reliable meal I had. Every day, 7 AM, 12 PM, 7 PM – they never missed. They never asked me for anything. They never judged me. I have a job and an apartment now. But I still come back to volunteer in the Langar kitchen every Sunday. It’s my way of paying it forward.”
— Michael R., Edmonton
“My family is Hindu. We are vegetarian. When my father was in the hospital nearby, we discovered this Gurdwara’s Langar. We ate there every single day for two weeks. The food was delicious, comforting, and reminded us of home. We are not Sikh, but we felt completely welcome.”
— Priya S., Calgary
“I bring my students to volunteer at the Langar every semester. I teach world religions at the University of Alberta. Many of my students have never interacted with Sikhs before. By the end of our Langar volunteer shift, they are laughing, chopping vegetables, and washing dishes alongside community members. It is the best ‘classroom’ I have ever found.”
— Dr. James Wilson, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Alberta
*”My 8-year-old son has autism. Eating out is very difficult for him – the noise, the crowds, the pressure. But in Langar, no one stares. No one rushes him. No one complains if he makes a mess. The volunteers are so patient and kind. Langar is the only place where our whole family can eat together without stress.”*
— Anita K., Edmonton
CONNECT WITH LANGAR
Get Involved Today
| I Want To… | Contact |
| Eat Langar | Just show up during meal times. No registration needed. |
| Volunteer | Email: volunteer@gurdwaraprabhmilneka.org / Phone: (780) XXX-XXXX |
| Sponsor a Langar Day | Email: langar@gurdwaraprabhmilneka.org |
| Donate Groceries | Drop off at Langar kitchen, 6 AM – 8 PM daily |
| Request Home Delivery | Call: (780) XXX-XXXX (for seniors, disabled, sick) |
| Ask a Question | Email: info@gurdwaraprabhmilneka.org |
FINAL CALL TO ACTION
Come Eat With Us
You do not need to be hungry to eat Langar. You do not need to be Sikh. You do not need to be religious. You do not need to be anything other than a human being.
Come for the food. Stay for the peace. Leave with a full stomach and a lighter heart.
Langar Hall Hours:
Breakfast: 7:00 AM – 8:30 AM
Lunch: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Dinner: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Daily, including weekends and holidays
Location:
Gurdwara Prabh Milne Ka Chao Meditation Society
2414 Ashcroft Crescent SW, Edmonton, AB T6W 2M9