Ismaili Muslim community donates over 6,000 pounds of food to Calgary Food Bank

A group of Ismaili Muslims teamed up with the Calgary Food Bank Saturday to help those in need.

The Ismaili CIVIC Ramadan Food Drive collected over 6,000 pounds of food that they donated to the Calgary Food Bank Saturday.

It’s part of an initiative that’s been going on for 15 years, reflecting “the spirit of compassion, generosity, and community service that is central to the observance of Ramadan,” said Nimira Alimohamed, a member for external relations for the Ismaili Council for the Prairies.

Volunteer Alisha Visanji said the food donation was part of her community’s desire to give back.

“Volunteering in the community is really a way for us to actualize the ethics and values of our faith, of generosity, of piety, giving back to the vulnerable, helping you improve quality of life of those in the communities in which we live,” Visanji said.

Calgary Food Bank communications and events manager Betty Jo Kaiser said the donation was greatly appreciated – and more necessary than it’s ever been.

“The last couple of years have been extremely difficult for a lot of folks,” Kaiser said. “About 30 per cent of the people that are accessing the Calgary Food Bank right now do list full time employment as their main source of income. What that basically means is paychecks are not stretching -- the increased cost of living, increased cost of groceries, is really starting to affect people.

“It's absolutely crucial that folks like these wonderful people are out there, collecting food and bringing it to the Calgary Food Bank so that we can give it to those who need it most,” she added.

For more information or to make a donation to the Calgary Food Bank, go here.

With files from Tyler Barrow