Ismaili Muslims in Richmond and around the Lower Mainland have two community-minded initiatives they will focusing on during the month of Ramadan - a food drive and a sewing campaign.
This week, a month-long food drive will launch at Save-On Foods at Ironwood to collect non-perishable food items for local food banks.
Many food collection programs are suspended in schools and community centres, which remain shuttered across the region because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The new food collection initiative is meant to help bolster the food bank reserves during this time of crisis.
The food will be donated directly through the grocers to various food bank partners.
This initiative launches on Thursday, April 30 and lasts until May 30.
Boxes will be set up at Save-On Foods at Ironwood marked with “Ismaili CIVIC” and the Save-On Foods brand.
The public can donate items – especially in need are hearty stew or chili, canned chicken or turkey, canned fish, chickpeas and kidney beans, rice, pasta, couscous, canned vegetables and fruit and cereal.
Furthermore, to help protect the public against COVID-19, a campaign called United We Sew is underway during Ramadan, with a goal of making 2,000 cloth face masks, saving the medical grade ones for front-line health-care workers.
The masks will be donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank and the Surrey Food Bank, Quest Food Exchange, Youth Covenant House, YWCA, Habitat for Humanity and United Way.
