This story first appeared in the voicesofny.org
People affected by Sandy line up for halal food at FDR High School in Midwood, Brooklyn. (Photo by Farhan Sheikh)
Baza Roohi cooked until 2 a.m. in her home kitchen in Midwood, Brooklyn, on Wednesday night, a day after Hurricane Sandy devastated large parts of New York, New Jersey and several other states.
Roohi was not cooking three large trays of legumes and curry for her small family. She had on her mind over 250 Muslims who took shelter in a Brooklyn high school and who had been making requests for halal food, meals prepared in accordance with Islamic dietary guidelines.
Roohi, who runs an accounting firm on Brooklyn’s Coney Island Avenue, is one of few Muslims of Pakistan origin in Brooklyn who have come together to provide community members uprooted from their homes with a warm plate of halal food at the FDR High School in Midwood. The school is serving as a shelter for more than 1,200 storm victims, according to Roohi.
“A significant number of those taking shelter at this location are Muslims from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Middle East and Africa,” Roohi told Voices of NY. She and a small team of six volunteers from her women’s rights group, the American Council of Minority Women, have been serving lunch and dinner for Muslims and non-Muslims since Monday. She prepares some of the food at her home, some is donated by a local restaurant and some is purchased.
“We need donations both in cash and in-kind to continue to serve halal food. I cook some of the food at home to save money but the demand is such that we have to look for donations from the local halal food restaurants or have to buy it,” said Roohi.
Baza Roohi (left) getting ready to serve halal food at the FDR High School shelter in Midwood, Brooklyn. (Photo by Farhan Sheikh)
Bibi Jan Tax Accounting and Mortgage Services, Roohi’s small firm, is even helping to foot some of the bill. “Me and my business partner Farhan Sheikh are determined to continue to serve the food from our own pockets if no one comes forward to support us,” she said.
Other Muslim community organizations are providing halal food to storm victims in other parts of the city.
The Muslim Women’s Institute for Research and Development (MWIRD), which runs two halal food pantries in the Bronx, has been serving lunches and dinners at its two locations in the Highbridge and Parkchester sections of the Bronx. Parkchester is home to a large population from Bangladesh and West Africa.
“We have been getting referrals from the Red Cross and local organizations because we are part of the local hunger relief network,” said Nurah-Rosalie Amat’ullah, executive director of MWIRD, a faith-based community organization.
“Over 100 people were served at each location yesterday [Thursday],” Amat’ullah told Voices.
Roohi’s small community organization sprung into action after one of her volunteers, an Arab employee at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, informed her of the requests for halal food being made at the FDR High School shelter on Monday. Roohi said her organization was allowed to serve lunches and dinners at the school after the Health Department inspected the food.
“We need halal food for 250 people in shelter. Please contact us 347 865 2769 or drop cooked food at Mithaas Restaurant, 1150 Coney Island Avenue, Brooklyn,” read a text message sent by Roohi to hundreds of community members on Monday, hours before Sandy made landfall.
Volunteers from the American Council of Minority Women at the kitchen of the FDR High School. (Photo by Farhan Sheikh)
The message sparked a response from cross sections of the community. From Zikria Khan who runs Gyro King restaurant on Coney Island Avenue to Chaudhary Ilyas, a Brooklyn-based contractor, and several private individuals, every one chipped in with a contribution in cash and in-kind.
When the donations started drying up on Wednesday, Roohi and her volunteers doubled their outreach and found more support. By Friday, they had enough pledges from community businesses to continue serving at the FDR High School for the next few days.
“Thankfully, one individual pledged a significant donation last night so today I feel very relieved,” Roohi said Friday. “I may not have to cook till 2 a.m. tonight.”
To help, contact Baza Roohi at (347)865-2769.
No comments:
Post a Comment