Haggerston Mutual Aid have teamed up with the local mosque on Kingsland High Road to distribute hot meals during the Islamic month of Ramadan, which began on Thursday 23 April.
100 volunteers will deliver a total of 6,000 meals to residents and local organisations who support vulnerable residents in the borough, including St Mungo’s, Streets Kitchen and Children With Voices.
Caroline Little, a coordinator for Haggerston Mutual Aid said “this is a wonderful example of what it’s possible to achieve when we come together and use the combined might of our community.”
Every year the mosque prepares hundreds of meals for its members as part of the communal breaking of the fast. Whilst COVID-19 social distancing measures means the mosque will be closed this year, local residents of all faiths and none can still get a hot meal delivered to them.
Tunahan Bilir, a coordinator for Suleymaniye Aid said “Ramadan is a month of sharing, generosity and blessing. We are thrilled to be able to work with Haggerston Mutual Aid, as they have allowed us to share this blessing with community as a whole.”
The partnership initially found it difficult to reach their target for the number of residents they wanted to support but soon reached capacity.
“For us the answer has been collaboration” said Haggerston Mutual Aid coordinator, Kat Thompson.
She adds, “we are grateful for the wonderful support we have received from Volunteer Centre Hackney whose guidance and support has been invaluable. And of course the mutual aid groups in our surrounding wards who have helped us identity people in their community to benefit from the meals.”
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