by: jason herring
several calgary community groups are providing food hampers to aid muslims in need during the holy month of ramadan.
in the past year, the calgary east zone newcomers collaborative has delivered 5,185 food hampers to nearly 26,000 people, helping those in need due to the covid-19 pandemic.
“muslims come from many different cultural backgrounds, so if it’s a middle eastern family or a family from india or indonesia — wherever that family is from — it includes foods they typically eat, and all halal,” said anila lee yuen, chair of the collaborative.
“when people are in crisis situations, being able to have the food that’s comforting to them is extremely important.”
volunteers provide food hampers for those who are in quarantine due to covid-19 infections, as well as any others who need support.
demand for food support has surged alongside case numbers in alberta, yuen said, with a greater need seen last may and again in january. the third wave of cases is once again driving demand.
the maskan program, run by the canadian pakistani support group, is also working to feed muslims affected by covid-19 during ramadan.
“it’s the pandemic, people don’t have jobs, and we’re getting so many calls for help. so we started off ramadan with a food hamper drive, and we helped more than 250 families,” said aneela azeem, the support group’s president and executive director.