On Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 January, Islamic Relief UK worked closely with Give a Gift (Leeds), Myriad Foundation (Manchester), East London Mosque (London) and Green Lane Masjid (Birmingham) to pack and distribute up to 2000 food packs and vouchers for vulnerable people including the homeless, low-income families, those suffering from domestic abuse, asylum seekers and refugees.
This winter’s distribution saw up to 2000 food packs being distributed by Islamic Relief UK and partners in London, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham. The packs contained essential items such as masks, hand sanitation products, gloves, hats, scarves, socks and non-perishable food items which will feed a family for up to two weeks.
Tufail Hussain, Director of Islamic Relief UK said, “Having worked closely with Give a Gift, East London Mosque and Green Lane Masjid before, we were delighted to have the opportunity to, once again, help their communities by packing and distributing food over the weekend. We are also humbled that we had the chance to work with Myriad Foundation in Manchester. We hope this food distribution will be the first project of many with Ali Mahmood and his team. With the number of coronavirus cases at an all-time, daily high in the UK, it is important – now more than ever - to stand together as a community and provide for those in need.”
Give a Gift in Leeds also partnered with Aldi to make food vouchers available, which enabled families to choose and buy general goods from Aldi stores to supplement their food packs. East London Mosque also made Aldi vouchers available, but both still worked with local suppliers to provide general goods. East London Mosque, who are based in Whitechapel, have been distributing food within their community since March 2020, when they set up a food bank for the vulnerable. Give a Gift have been recognised for helping all faiths in Leeds. This includes people who do not reach the criteria for benefits and workers such as taxi drivers with low income and families. They have supported families who don’t qualify for the furlough scheme, who are having to turn to food banks and charities, just to provide food for their children. Green Lane Masjid have been providing support to their community throughout the pandemic across all areas of Birmingham, running a seven-day walk-in foodbank and delivering vital emergency food parcels to people self-isolating. Myriad Foundation have played a vital community role in Manchester, having set up a weekly soup kitchen in the city, rolled out an end-to-end food bank service and a weekly self-isolation project which delivers thousands of food parcels across the city.
