Dear Muslim-Jewish Feed the Hungry friends and volunteers,
Salaam, shalom to you. We hope this message finds you well. We’re writing to tell you about our project’s financial situation and to ask you to help keep the project going strong.
The Feed the Hungry project has funding for the next few months. We’ll be OK through the winter, but we need to find additional funding now to carry the project beyond that time.
Each month, we provide food that costs approximately $360 in addition to the donations of bread, desserts, etc. That means that we have to find about $360 per month to sustain our project. It’s not a huge amount; we can do it. (We usually provide a nutritious and enjoyable lunch to about 250~300 people, so it is costing just over $1 per person.)
Here are some successes so far. Be inspired to see what you can do. Probably you have ideas too.
- Youssouf Wabi, a new volunteer with Feed the Hungry this year, applied for a grant from his workplace, and was awarded $500 for our project. Many employers make charitable donations and respond well to requests from employees.
- A Jewish couple who are volunteers in the kitchen decided to donate $300 in honour of their son’s bar mitzvah. Instead of spending money with a florist for centre-pieces at their celebration, they put on each table a card explaining Feed the Hungry and are donating the funds they saved to provide a good, healthy meal to hundreds through our project.
- Baruch Levi Tyczenski and Stephen Greenham, owners of popular Vancouver restaurants, Sweet Obsession and Trafalgars Bistro on West 16th, have committed $100 monthly to our project.
Other ideas of what you can do:
- Get a group of friends or family members together to raise $360 to sponsor one month’s lunch. We’ll thank you all on our website. And, all donations to Feed the Hungry are tax deductible.
- Approach businesses in your community to provide all or part of one month’s costs. It won’t cost much. We’d love to pair Muslim-owned businesses with Jewish-owned businesses. Again, we’ll thank the businesses on our website.
- Consider any food-orientated businesses that would like to make either a one-off or multiple donation of food items -- ideally desserts (cookies, muffins, cupcakes, etc.), but any food items would be of interest. If you know of any potential businesses please contact either of our invaluable leaders, Ty Din or Selma Savage, and together we will figure out the best way to approach the business you have suggested. Some businesses may like to donate food items instead of contributing to the cost of a lunch.
- Think of organizations in your community which might make a donation. Think of sources for grants among your circles. Many mosques and synagogues have funds which they can donate if they are asked. Other community groups do as well. Sometimes, all you need to do is ask.
- Consider making a special donation in gratitude for a blessed event in your family or in memory of a loved one. Consider asking family members to do so when an occasion is coming.
If you, a family member, or a friend would like to make a personal donation to the Muslim-Jewish Feed the Hungry Project, please mail a cheque to:
Ahavat Olam Synagogue
Box 19569
Vancouver, BC,
V5T 4E7
Please mark the memo line of the cheque with "Donation for the Muslim-Jewish Feed the Hungry Project" and e-mail Ty Din and Selma Savage so that we can reconcile our accounts, and be sure to acknowledge your contribution.
For any of these ideas or others of your own, please be in touch with Haseena Majeed, our fundraising coordinator. We’ll keep you posted about our progress.
Thank you so much,
Muslim-Jewish Feed the Hungry Steering Committee
Special Requests
We are continuously looking at ways of doing more for the people in the DTES and now have a special request from the First United Church – where our feeds take place.
Over the next several months they have requested that we collect and donate the following:
- Socks
- Toiletries:
- Shampoos
- Conditioners
- Soaps
- Deodorants
- Toothbrushes
- Toothpaste
- Mouthwash
In the past we have collected toiletries from our vacations when staying in hotels, or simply picked up a little extra when shopping and donated it. This is also a good opportunity for our younger members to organize such a collection through their school. There are many options so please do consider this wherever possible.
Simply collect and bring in the items on the day of the feed or contact the steering committee and we can arrange collection. The items will NOT be handed out on the day of the feed but passed on to the Mission for use as needed.
Thanks for your ongoing support!
Mailing List
To unsubscribe from the Feed the Hungry mailing list, click here and go the bottom of the page. You can also subscribe, or change your email address.
Lunch Location
All lunches are held at First United Church at the S.E. corner of Hastings and Gore (one block east of Main Street), in the downtown eastside. Underground parking is available for volunteers, below the church. Enter from the side on Gore Street. The entrance gate is open shortly before 9am. If for any reason the gate is closed, simply park at the gate for a moment, inform one of the coordinators on the inside and they will open the gate.
Pray and Connect
If you can, please join us from 1:30 to 2pm after the lunch as we form a circle to share brief prayers together and share our personal reflections on our experiences of the day, as well as a bit of who we are and where we came from. It's a beautiful way to connect and get to know each other – each one of us a reflection of God's beauty on this earth.
Shift Cancellations
To cancel your shift, simply visit this page using the same computer and browser you used to sign up for your shift, then click on "cancel" next to your name. If you do not see "cancel", email Ty Din.
Contact Us
You may contact us via email by contacting Ty Din or by phoning the Ahavat Olam office at (604)875-0240.
