With Ramadan around the corner, the team at Concierge Realty Group wanted to do its part to highlight differing needs at the Newmarket Food Pantry.
On March 9, members of the Concierge Realty Group team will be preparing Halal meals in the pantry’s community kitchen and donating hundreds of pounds of Halal chicken.
The team, led by Wasim Jarrah and Ed Chaudhry, will also be holding a food drive for the next month to help the food pantry gather its most sought after items.
The initiative will not only allow the food pantry to accommodate its Muslim clients but also ensures they have access to Halal meat during their religious holiday, said Vesna Mitchell, resource development co-ordinator at the Newmarket Food Pantry.
“We believe this event beautifully reflects the spirit of unity and kindness within our community, showcasing the diversity and generosity that makes Newmarket special,” she said.
The initiative came together for multiple reasons, said Jarrah, one big one being that the team at Concierge loves to give back to the community.
He said it’s a core value of the business to support important community organizations and with March 10 being the start of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for the whole month, the team wanted to kick off the month with a food drive.
Jarrah said it also serves as an opportunity to shed light on the fact that some clients of food banks have different dietary needs that aren’t always met.
“We’ve been involved with the food pantry for a long time and we’ve tried to do a lot of work with it around Ramadan,” he said. “We want to bring awareness through DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) of the differences in cultures and religions.”
Jarrah said it was brought to the attention of the Concierge Realty Group team that a lot of clients are having a hard time accessing Halal options at the pantry. That’s why the team has partnered with Maple Lodge Farms to donate 500 pounds of Halal meat to the pantry.
“That way people who need those options and have dietary restrictions will have access to the food they need,” he said.
Running this initiative for the food pantry was important, said Jarrah, because as a Muslim he knows how it feels to go without food during Ramadan, but at the end of the day when the fasting ends, he can eat a meal.
“But a lot of people may not have a meal with how expensive things are right now,” he said. “We wanted to play a role in finding a solution so someone has a meal at the end of the day.”
At the event for food pantry clients March 9, Jarrah said he and the Concierge Realty Group team will be cooking up about 100 portions of chicken, rice, pasta, and desserts, and making 20 to 40 healthy sandwiches for the Community Fridge.
Jarrah said that a big motivator to run this initiative and the corresponding food drive is because he feels it’s the duty of businesses to give back to the communities that have given them so much.
“Business is never an individual enterprise, it’s composed of so many things that are attached to every part of the community,” he said. “You cannot be a flourishing business and not be giving back to the community and building up the community. These are very hard times people are going through, it’s our job to give back wherever we can.”
Their food drive launched on Feb. 7 with a focus on needs such as rice, oil, flour, pasta, peanut butter, and personal care items. Those wishing to donate can drop items off at Keller Williams locations in Newmarket or Aurora.
