Community outreach events bring into focus the founding goals around which South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS) was built, said its Executive Director Sudha Acharya.
Photo: Provided by SACSS.
Acharya was speaking to News India Times after holding a successful community outreach event March 29, 2026, at the ITV Gold Studios of Parikh Worldwide Media in Edison, New Jersey.
Such events serve the purpose of meeting people where they are, of listening to them, helping them and walking with them toward opportunity and assurance, she further said. “Together, we’re not just connecting our neighbors to essential benefits like health care and food support, we’re reaffirming the dignity and hope that every family deserves.”
The kick-off event was supported by ITV Gold, its President Padma Shri recipient Dr. Sudhir Parikh of Parikh Worldwide Media, Chief Operating Officer Ilayas Qureshi and the ITV Gold team.
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Commending SACSS for 25 years of outstanding community outreach and service, Parikh praised SACSS for helping people who lack resources or don’t know how to access government benefits and healthcare in New York and New Jersey.
Parikh emphasized that good healthcare is a fundamental right and, as a doctor and President of the Global Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (GAPIO), he knew how they can help extend healthcare support to people without insurance or healthcare IDs.
Parikh welcomed SACSS to New Jersey, and promised his individual support and support of his media group in promoting, community outreach, and any other needs.
Present from SACSS at the event were Acharya, Director of Family Support Services Mary Archana Fernandez, Director of Health Services Rehan Mehmood, Director of Development Anjali Maniam, members of SACSS’s expert team and its volunteers.
Special guests at the event included West Windsor Mayor Hemant Marathe, East Brunswick Mayor Brad J. Cohen, Edison Council member Biral Patel, invited guests and community members.
The event began with a comprehensive presentation of services the nonprofit extends to community members in regards to their healthcare, public benefits and other options at large.
The event offered an opportunity for SACSS to meet with community members in New Jersey and learn challenges they face in successful sign up for public benefits, Fernandez told News India Times. “It will help us design programs that address the unique needs of community members in New Jersey,” Fernandez said.
The free event had SACSSs enrollment specialists help people understand federal and city public benefits including health insurance, food stamps and more, while answering people’s questions and guiding and assisting them through the steps of applications.
Pointing out that many attendees were happy with SACSS experts speaking their language, Mehmood told News India Times, “Many of the people who came today were seniors inquiring about NJ family care and Medicare, and they were excited by the prospect of SACSS coming to NJ so that they can seek services from enrollment specialists in their language.”
Giving credit to the volunteers for help in assessing the needs of the community members, Maniam said the main concerns were healthcare access and enrollment, eligibility for SNAP benefits and Social Security insurance and language barriers and difficulty navigating healthcare and benefits portals.
Photo: Provided by SACSS.
Mayor of Windsor, Hemant Marathe, noted the strong need for connection among seniors who often feel lonely and isolated. He emphasized the advantage of them, particularly the growing South Asian community in West Windsor, speaking to someone who can speak their own languages.
Brad J. Cohen, Mayor of East Brunswick and an OBGYN physician, referred to his personal journey of continuous commitment to service, problem-solving, and helping people through crises, and compared his mission to the experiences of the immigrant community upon arrival in the U.S. Cohen praised SACSS for helping build better future for the community.
Councilman Biral Patel of Edison spoke about his long-standing passion for community service, saying his spirit of service came from observing other community leaders. He concluded with advice to keep community service an ongoing practice and offered SACSS unconditional support from Edison Township and its leadership including Mayor Sam Joshi.
Thanking the volunteers, Acharya told the gathering about SACSS’s 25 member staff in New York who has served over 350,000 individuals, including approximately 2,200 families at their food pantry every week.
Saying the organization would like to expand its services to the needy areas in New Jersey, Acharya mentioned the large number of people SACSS has connected to benefits. The concerns of the NJ community were very similar to those of the NYC community SACSS already serves. SACSS is planning more such commuter events in other New Jersey counties according to its directors.