Young Muslims tackle food poverty as holy month of Ramadhan begins

Young Muslim volunteers from the Islamic Unity Society (IUS) helped to collect food for needy families in Brent on Sunday 29th June as the holy Islamic Month of Ramadhan gets under way.

The collections were to stock the shelves of Sufra NW London, a community food bank and kitchen which aims to support disadvantaged families suffering food poverty in the local area. Shoppers in Alperton were asked to add an extra one or two items to their shopping list and drop it off for the food bank collections as they exit.

The London Borough of Brent, where the vast majority of beneficiaries reside, suffers one of the greatest disparities between levels of income and housing costs. Since launching in August 2013, Sufra NW London has provided emergency food aid for 3,483 people.

“Over 30% of employed residents in Brent receive less than the London Living Wage emphasising that hard-working families are no less affected by poverty,” said Mohammed Mamdani, Interim Director of Sufra NW London.

New volunteers are always required to help run the food bank operations. Recruitment is open for supermarket collectors, van drivers and kitchen assistants, amongst other roles and individuals can help from as little as 2 hours/week regular volunteering.

Individuals passionate about the power of food to change lives can find out more by visiting: http://www.sufra-nwlondon.org.uk/community/volunteering/

IUS is also organising a fundraising dinner on Friday 25th July, bringing together over 120 people to raise awareness of food poverty in London. The dinner will include local guest speakers and live entertainment.

For more information or high resolution photos, please email contact@ius.org.uk or call 07557611224

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Notes to Editors:

1. The Islamic Unity Society (IUS) is an independent registered charity (No. 1066910) set up in 1995, run solely by volunteer students and young professionals. The charity has branches in London and Manchester.
2. Sufra NW London is a community food bank and kitchen (Registered Charity No. 1151911). It is open on Wednesdays and Sundays from 12pm to 3pm and is based in St. Raphael’s Estate, Stonebridge.
3. Since launching in August 2013, Sufra NW London has provided emergency food aid for 3,483 people.
4. The food bank is led by a consortium of charities who have pledged core funding of up to £50,000 for the next 3 years. These include: Al-Mizan Charitable Trust, Beta Charitable Trust, SICM and the Islamic Unity Society.
5. For more information, please visit www.sufra-nwlondon.org.uk