Shirdi Sai Mandir of Utah (SSMOU)

Shirdi Sai Mandir of Utah (SSMOU)

Shirdi Sai Mandir of Utah (SSMOU)

    Many ways to contribute

    Recurring Donations - PayPal (id - @ssmou)

    Recurring donations are used to cover monthly expenses such as rent, utilities, and other everyday needs to run Mandir. Any denomination for $5 - $200 will help cover monthly expense of the Mandir. We appreciate your help supporting Mandir. We track your cummulative donations based on your name and to send end of year tax document.

    • Our PayPal account has the ability to setup monthly recurring contributions.
    • Use this payment method to donate monthly expenses
    • We invite you to pujas as sponsors as your cummulative donations are equal to or above sponsorship amount.

      • We track your cummulative donations for life with any payment (or multiple types of payment) method you choose. Please use same name and email so all your donations from your household will be accumalated under one name.

    One Time Donation - Venmo (id - @ssmou)

    Shirdi Sai Mandir of Utah (SSMOU) is run with the help of generous donations from the devotees like you. We appreciate your help supporting Mandir. Please consider donating utilizing one of the online methods. We track your cummulative donations based on your name and to send end of year tax document.

    • Use Venmo(id-@ssmou) or Paypal(id-@ssmou) or Zelle(id-shirdisaiutah@gmail.com) for donating one time donations
    • Please consider doing one time donations instead of dropping money in Hundi
    • Use any method of online payments for sponsoring Pujas

    We track your cummulative donations for life. Please use same name and email so all your donations from your household will be accumalated under one name.

    Zelle Transfer (id - shirdisaiutah@gmail.com)

    Zelle doesn't charge fee per transaction unlike Venmo or Paypal. We appreciate your help supporting Mandir, and contribution via Zelle will donate every penny of your donation. We track your cummulative donations based on your name and to send end of year tax document.

    • Use this method for contributing one time donations
    • Most of the banks have Zelle service enabled for their customers.

      • We track your cummulative donations for life with any payment (or multiple types of payment) method you choose. Please use same name and email so all your donations from your household will be accumalated under one name.

    Capital fund, Garland, At home Satsang

    Please contact us about your interest to contribute to the fund to buy a place for Baba. Click our PayPal (id - @ssmou) to contribute to any of the following.

    • Contribute to making flower mala ($21) for Baba every Thursday. You could pick a week that you'd like to donate.
    • At home Satsang is $121. We will bring vutsava vigraha of baba and do Satsang at your home.
    • Contribute monthly to buy puja essentials such as aarthi oil, wicks etc.
    • Contribute one time or monthly towards capital fund using the same payment methods

      • We track your cummulative donations for life with any payment (or multiple types of payment) method you choose. Please use same name and email so all your donations from your household will be accumalated under one name.

    About the Mandir

    Shirdi Sai Mandir of Utah (SSMOU) is registered as a non-profit organization in the State of Utah (Registration # 12094227-0140) dedicated to serving underrepresented and marginalized communities. We obtained a permit (Reference# 12164239-CHAR) from the Utah Division of Consumer Protection for solicitation and fundraising. SSMOU is a tax exempt organization registered with the Internal Revenue Service(IRS) as a Public Charity organization with 501 (C) 3 non-profit status for EIN# 86-1292223.

    Purpose

    The purpose(s) includes, but not limited to, for which the corporation has been formed are enumerated below:

    To act and operate exclusively as a nonprofit corporation pursuant to the laws of the State of Utah.

    To engage in any and all other lawful purposes, activities and pursuits, which are substantially similar to the foregoing and which are or may hereafter be authorized by Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and are consistent with those powers described in the Utah Nonprofit Corporation and Cooperation Association Act, as amended and supplemented. More information can be found in our Articles of Incorporation.

    To organize and conduct charitable events & projects in the areas of shelter, food, healthcare to impoverished and others in need.

    To have a place open to people of faiths and religions to participate in prayers and selfless community service as per the teachings of spiritual masters like Shirdi Sai Baba.

    To build a traditional Shirdi Sai Mandir that serves the Sai devotees of Utah and neighboring states.

    To organize and conduct religious and spiritual services such as providing gatherings and retreats to develop and enhance the spiritual lives of individuals of all faiths.

    To engage in any and all activities and pursuits, and to support or assist such other organizations, as may be reasonably related to the foregoing and following purposes.

    Mandir History

    2021 - Year of Inception

    Shirdi Sai Mandir of Utah (SSMOU) was conceptualized by the 3 Board of Directors Sandeep Tella, Raju Pusapati and Sunil Gokarn. The Board of Directors have registered the organization as a 501 c (3) religious organization in the State of Utah.

    • Vijay Musigumpala who has not only sponsored the idol but also coordinated the making of the idol of the deity in Jaipur, India.
    • The first event that SSMOU conducted was Guru Pournami which has seen a great response from the community. Encouraged by that, the Ganesh Cener location in Midvale was leased in September and Baba’s idol was temporarily consecrated on September 9th on a platform built by volunteers.
    • Around mid-September the Mandir was officially inaugurated by Dr. Dinesh Patel and we also received the first major donation from him. There were a lot of other donors who came forward to get us going.

    As the Mandir started during the peak Covid Pandemic time a lot of care was taken to keep the environment safe for the devotees.

     

    2022

    • Volunteers were recruited to help with daily Harati’s (daily religious ceremonies) that had lend a big hand to the Leadership.
    • Maha Shivaratri, Ugadi, Guru Pournami, Annual Day, Diwali and Christmas were celebrated.
     

    2023

    • Coming out of the Pandemic Sub-Committees were formed that has further enabled us to execute bigger events with community support.
    • Maha Shivaratri, Ugadi, Sri Rama Navami, Guru Pournami, Annual Day, and Diwali were celebrated.
     

    2024

    • We have celebrated Sri Rama Navami
    • First ever indoor food, music and cultural fair (Desi Fair) was hosted on June 29th while we have 97F hot summer day. See some photos on our Facebook page
     

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Following are answers to some frequently asked questions

    SSMOU stands for Shirdi Sai Baba Mandir of Utah, a non-profit organization that has been granted 501 C (3) status by the IRS. SSMOU provides spiritual and charitable services to the community based on the life and preachings of Shirdi Sai Baba and other spiritual leaders.
    Any donations made to SSMOU are tax-deductible. SSMOU's mission is to serve the community through spiritual and charitable activities inspired by the teachings and examples of Shirdi Sai Baba and other enlightened masters. SSMOU being an Interfaith organization, welcomes people of all faiths and backgrounds to join its programs and events.

    Our main goal is to establish a permanent location for our community, where we can worship, learn and grow together. A secondary objective is to hire a full-time priest who can serve our spiritual needs and guide us in our faith journey. We believe that these two steps will help us strengthen our bond with God, Guru and each other, and enable us to fulfill our mission as His followers.

    Following are some essentials that could be used by Mandir:
    Sesame Oil also called Gingelly Oil
    Flowers

    Yes, you could bring prasad on Thursday before 7:45PM. Only vegetarian food without the use of garlic and onion is acceptable, fruits, nuts and sweets are also allowed. Bringing prasad before 7:45 will allow us to pack prasad before 8PM. We would like all the devotees who are packing prasad to take part in Shez Aarthi that starts at 8PM. Thank you for your understanding.

    As a place of peace and tranquility, we ask our patrons to be respectful and mindful of their attire.
    We recommend no shorts or sleeveless for men or women.
    Leave the shoes all the way in the shoes room.

    Use Venmo or Paypal to donate one time or setup recurring donations.
    Venmo or Paypal for Mandir is @SSMOU

    We have a certain way to sew garland and a length that suits for Baba's idol. Please contact Mandir for contributing to garland

    We will need voluteers from time to time to do social work as well as organizing activities in Mandir. Please watch out for facebook announcements or you can contact us at ShirdiSaiUtah@gmail.com and express your interest to volunteer.

    Our organization provides essential assistance in the domains of nutrition and sanitation to vulnerable populations. We aim to grow our scope of work and include other forms of support in the future.

    As a donor, you will have the privilege of having your name engraved on the new Mandir premises, as a sign of gratitude and recognition for your generous contribution. You will also have the opportunity to participate in board meetings periodically, where you can share your ideas and feedback with the Mandir management. Furthermore, you will receive special invitations and honors to inaugurate and bless various programs and events organized by the Mandir. You will also have the priority to book any religious ceremonies or prayers at the Mandir, as well as to host Satsang’s with your family and friends. Lastly, you will be acknowledged and appreciated by the Mandir community in Salt Lake City and beyond, whenever appropriate.

    We are grateful for the support of our business sponsors, who help us maintain and improve our Mandir. As a token of our appreciation, we will display their names and logos on our website, where they can reach a wider audience of potential customers. Additionally, we will offer them a special blessing by sending Prasadam to their store whenever we have a special event at the Mandir. This way, they can share the divine grace and joy with their staff and clients.

    As a token of our gratitude for their generous contributions of time and effort, we would like to offer them the following benefits:
    - They will have the opportunity to attend Board Meetings occasionally and share their valuable insights and feedback with us.
    - They will have the priority to conduct any religious ceremonies or rituals at the Mandir, such as vidhis, poojas, or satsangs with their family and friends.
    - They will be recognized and appreciated in our events for their dedicated services and support to our Mandir community.

    Our main events are Maha Shivrathri, Ugadhi, Sri Rama Navami, Guru Pournami and Annual Day.

    Dhoop (Afternoon), Sandhya(Evening) and Shez(Night) Harathi’s, Bhajans (reciting devotional songs), Satsangs (bringing up positive synergy with spiritual talks/discussions) in the Mandir and at Home (on request),
     

    Our Team

    Our Mandir runs with the help of volunteers. Board of directors of the Mandir will coordinate activities with voluteers. There are also multiple committees that will help run the operations of Mandir

    Raju Pusapati

    Board of Director

    Raju Pusapati is a long-time resident of the Salt Lake City, UT area, where he moved in 2002. He has witnessed the community development over the years and understands the diverse needs of the people of Indian origin as well as the challenges of the marginalized and the underprivileged in the state of Utah. He works as an IT Architect, but he is also very passionate about community service. He helped establish several non-profit charity and religious organizations in Utah such as Telugu Association of Utah (TAU), Sai Kuteer, and Community Connections for Change (CC4C). He also served on other non-profit organization boards like Utah Ganesha Mandir, APNA Foundation, NATA and is currently serving as a Board of Trustee for Sankara Nethralaya USA a charity organization working to prevent blindness.

    Sandeep Tella

    Board of Director

    Sandeep Tella has been living in the Salt Lake City, UT area since 2011. He has been volunteering in the community over the years helping people of Indian descent in and outside of Utah. He is an IT professional and is very passionate about community service. Towards pursuing those service goals, he has founded Utah Desis facebook group to help provide a colloboration platform for community members in Utah. He has been a volunteer for a few non-profit charity and religious organizations including Telugu Association of Utah (TAU), Utah Tamil Sangham, ICC and Ganesha Temple.

    Sunil Gokarn

    Board of Director

    Sunil Gokarn is a Chartered Accountant who has been residing in Salt Lake County since 2015. He considers himself a world citizen having lived in 7 countries and is passionate about service to the community particularly the downtrodden. He strongly believes in Shirdi Sai principles of Shraddha aur Saburi.

    Committees

    Mandir has formed committees to better manage the operations and events of Mandir. Some committees will be dormant until there is an event in Mandir and some committees will work throughout the year to manage operations of Mandir.

    Technology Committee: Takes care of website maintenance, design marketing material, printing flyers, photography, videography, audio and any technology related help

    Food Services committee: Takes care of food distribution, getting volunteers for food distribution, order food, pickup food, serve food.

    Fund Raising committee: Reaches out for sponsorships and capital fund.

    Venue and decoration committee: Book venue, decorate venue, acquire supplies for event, and cleanup after event.

    Religious committee: Take care of aarthi coordination, event design, and Mandir supplies acquisition.

    Harathi Committee: Until we get our priest, these individuals are doing the Harthi for baba in the mornings and evenings.

    Accounting Committee: This committee is responsible for account recievables, payables, taxes, audit, devotee relationship management

    Technology Committee: Ramana Yalavarty, Raju Pusapati, Sahith Reddy, Ranadheer Kolli, Siddu Endrakanti and Sairam Kompalli

    Publicity Committee: Ramana Yalavarty, Gouthami Lachireddy, Avinash Bethala, Priya Vishal, Sreedhar Duvvarapu and Silpa Navaneetha

    Food Services committee: Venkat Kovelamudi, Vishal, Giribabu Nagudula, Sreedhar Duvvarapu

    Fund Raising committee: Gouthami Lachireddy, Ramana Yalavarty, Rajasekhar Paladugu, Sandeep Tella, Rajesh Umesh, Raju Pusapati

    Venue and decoration committee: Bharathi Pusapati, Sandeep Tella, Raju Pusapati, Radha Paladugu, Aparna Yalavarty, Lavanya, Soujanya Tella, Gauthami Reddy, Deepa Gokarn, Priya Vishal, Tanmai Reddy

    Religious committee: Bharati Pusapati, Sandeep Tella, Raju Pusapati, Radha Paladugu, Aparna Yalavarty, Lavanya, Soujanya Tella, Gouthami Lachireddy, Deepa Gokarn, Priya Vishal, Tanmai Reddy

    Harathi Committee: Raju Pusapati, Soujanya Tella, Sunil Gokarn, Venkat Kovelamudi, Sreedhar Duvvarapu, Silpa Navaneetha, Pooja, Rajesh Umesh, Ramana Yalavarty

    Accounting Committee: Sunil Gokarn, Ramana Yalavarty, Sandeep Tella, Raju Pusapati, Sahith Reddy

    Location