The Dawoodi Bohra community of Seattle took action on several fronts this World Food Day to feed the hungry and unhoused, while supporting a local food producer.
Bohra volunteers donated canned and boxed food to the local branch of the Salvation Army to provide for the hungry and unhoused.
Captain Christopher Kim, the Director of The Salvation Army, Bellevue, Washington, said,
"The Dawoodi Bohras have been very thoughtful and generous with their support especially through the COVID times, with food donations and food packaging. Our programs are made possible because generous donors like them who give back to their communities in a variety of ways."
The Seattle Dawoodi Bohras also cooked meals at their community kitchen in Kirkland for Share/Wheel, a Seattle housing charity, to serve 25 homeless families in the area.
Finally, in keeping with the theme of this year’s United Nations World Food Day - which focuses on how the food we choose affects our health and our planet - several volunteers organized for 30 children and teachers from the community school to visit the Bellevue Urban Garden (tBUG) to learn directly from farmers about local food production, healthy diets and ways to support food deserts in America.
Mr. Maybin Chisebuka, the founder of tBUG, commented, “Growing, harvesting, cooking, and eating nutritious food, and caring for plants and the earth are just a few of the magical things that happen at tBUG. As the Dawoodi Bohra Community families and kids have participated today on World Food Day, we invite families in our community to be a part of our many tBUG food ambassadors, as we are always learning from one another.”
The events were held as part of the Dawoodi Bohras’ global Project Rise initiative, which supports vulnerable members of society around the world through better education, healthcare, nutrition, water and sanitation, and environmental protection.
The President for the Seattle community of Dawoodi Bohras, Mr. Aliasgar Jamali, said, “In line with Islam's emphasis on feeding others, the Dawoodi Bohras have always believed that nobody should go to bed hungry, and that is why - as part of Project Rise - we regularly provide food, financial support, and willing volunteers to food banks all over the world. It is also important that we teach our children about food production, healthy diets and food deserts - a place where at least a third of the population lives greater than one mile away from a supermarket for urban areas, or greater than 10 miles for rural areas.”
