Muslim Families Network Society preparing for annual food and clothing drive
The essentials in any household are food, clothing and furnishings because without those the Muslim Families Network Society (MFNS) says it's hard for anyone to survive, let alone find employment.
"It is the Ramadan and the month of giving and sharing," said Idrees Khan, society chair. "Charity is the third pillar of Islam so we are trying our best that people are being helped, we give them whatever we have, and we share with them."
The annual halal food and clothing distribution takes place March 24th and in 2023, the one-day blitz helped more than 8,000 underprivileged members of communities in Calgary. This year its outreach projection is 10,000 because Khan says unemployment is on the rise and the price of groceries continues to increase.
"Prices are going so high now and people are living, you know they are not having jobs," she said. "It is making harder for them so this is what motivates us to help them all."
Organizers say without the basic items collected in the annual drive, individuals and families cannot move to the critical steps of integrating into society. MFNS supplements the support available through other organizations but in some cases, it is the sole provider of these services.
"It can be refugees, it can be single mothers, it can also the new immigrants but we have this past year we have found another category which is refugee claimants," said Khan. "We are getting different people from different backgrounds, Canadian, whoever is facing the challenges at this moment."
HAMPERS
Toks Bakinson is a board member and says MFNS provides food hampers throughout the year to needy families. But the distribution event accepts and distributes clothing donations and anything else that might help a family new to Canada.
"This is also an opportunity for our community members to bring in some of your donations that they've been keeping for the year because this is the one time where we accept clothing donations," she said.
Bakinson is hoping for 700 volunteers on March 24th because she says everyone is fasting for Ramadan so the volunteers will be broken into three groups that day to ease the workload. She says cash donations are also welcome.
"We would love gift cards and cash," she said. "What we do with the cash donations, we use it to purchase food or we use it to purchase gift cards as well -- so we take any kind of donation."
BORN IN SYRIA, FLED WAR TO LEBANON
Lara Hussain is 17 years old and has volunteered at MFNS for the last four years. Hussain was born in Syria and fled the war to Lebanon. She and her mom moved to Calgary in 2015 and she remembers needing to use the food bank at MFNS.
Now she wants to give back to others.
"This organization was always there for us, it was a stepping stone for us, especially for my mom, it was such a big part of our lives," she said. "It makes me feel like I'm giving back to have what I got, especially during Ramadan."
MFNS is a non-profit organization that works to enhance the physical, social, and spiritual well being of individuals and families in Calgary and area by providing education and awareness, poverty relief and social supports based on Islamic principles and values. MFNS serves community members in need regardless of religion.
The distribution event takes place March 24th from 8 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. at the Temple Community Centre, 167 Templegreen Rd. N.E.
Learn more about the annual drive here: www.muslimfamilynetwork.org.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.