LAC LA BICHE - Members of the Lac La Biche Muslim community were putting food hampers together and distributing them to those in need at a recent event during the holy month of Ramadan. The event, which took place at the Al Kareem Mosque, is part of the obligatory charity component (Zakat) of Ramadan.
Muslim youth helped to create the hampers, which were made in the basement of the mosque before being set up on tables outside to be given to people. The local Muslim community has been doing this charitable event during Ramadan for the last several years, with organizers receiving donations from Muslim businesses and other members of the faith community. For this year’s event, the goal was to fill 100 hampers with food.
Ali Fyith, the president of the Lac La Biche Muslim Association, stated that the food hamper event is a done by the entire Muslim community as a way of helping and connecting with their neighbours.
“We just want to be able to give back to our community in the best way we know how, in the best month for us,” he told Lakeland This Week. “We like to engage and be involved with our community step by step.”
Ramadan this year is observed from March 11 to April 10. A celebration marking the end of Ramadan – coinciding with the next new moon - is marked by Eid al-Fitr.
During Ramadan, Fyith explained, Muslims fast from food and do all they can to cleanse their bodies and minds. During the month, an emphasis is put on charity and kindness to others. Giving is about being generous and courteous to others that may be less fortunate, said Fyith, adding that Ramadan is a good reflection month on all aspects of an individual’s life that are extended or personal.
Lac La Biche is home to one of the largest, per-capita Muslim populations in Canada. Around the world, Ramadan is observed by more than 1.9 billion Muslim people.
The charity food hamper giveaway this year, said Fyith was the biggest to date.
The hampers this year, Fyith explained, consisted of many healthy food items including milk, bread, cereal, meat, juice, and pasta.
“They’re pretty good hampers we’ve put together for the people of Lac La Biche from our Muslim community,” Fyith said, adding that 10-15 youth members of the Muslim community participated in this charitable cause. Some of the youth went around the community with adults asking for donations, while the rest, he stated, were involved in packaging and distribution of food.
He said it is important to involve the younger generations as it helps them to learn how to build relationships and to know that a community relies on every individual living in it.
“It doesn’t matter what your ethnicity is…background is…profession…people need people,” he said.
