Luton’s Muslim Community Collaborates to Fund Foodbank Supplies

The Muslim community in a local town has received commendation for contributing to a winter food drive by collecting over £5,000. Facilitated by Inspire FM, a community organization based in Luton, thirteen mosques throughout the town participated in a special Friday collection of funds intended for acquiring food items. Salma Khan, who serves as the director of operations at Luton Foodbank, expressed that she was “delighted” by the “truly amazing and heart-warming” contributions. She noted that while the Muslim community provides year-round support to the charity, a greater number of groups collaborated this year. “This is the first time so many mosques have united to support us,” Ms Khan further stated. She continued, “It’s so nice to see every part of the community taking part, it’s amazing, truly heart-warming.” She indicated that the funds had already created “a huge difference,” ensuring sufficient donations for the holiday season and extending into early January, a period when contributions often decrease. She further remarked: “Christmas is a time of year that people who don’t have much are forced to spend money on gifts, food and heating, so it pushes a lot of people into crisis.” Mohammed Tariq, representing Inspire FM, commented: “We are deeply appreciative of the mosques coming together to support the local Foodbank during this critical time. This act of unity and generosity truly reflects their core values.” Maqsood Anwar, associated with the Madinah Masjid mosque, mentioned that his institution has provided support to the “much-needed” foodbank for more than ten years, adding that “we are more than happy to help.” Allama Qazi Abdul Aziz Chisti MBE declared: “Feeding the hungry is one of our duties as Muslims.” Elizabeth Stringer, who holds the position of chairman for the foodbank, stated: “With higher numbers of people using the foodbank, all contributions will help with food distribution throughout the colder months.” News updates for Beds, Herts and Bucks are available on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available for review.