Presenter: Muhammad Hashmi, Global Public Health Scholars
I worked at The Islamic Community Center of Potomac and I helped hand out food to families in need. This event took place on Sunday when families would come into the mosque and we would hand out packaged boxes containing different types of food. In general, you would see a bag or two of rice, boxes of spaghetti, and canned soup. Other canned products such as vegetables and fruits were also packaged along with cereal boxes and vegetable oil for cooking. Uncooked chicken was also packaged so that families had some protein to go along with their meals. Along with the packaged food products, 3 premade meals were also given to families in styrofoam food containers which included some type of grain, protein, and a portion of veggies. This greatly contributed to public health because families in need around my area were able to receive food that families could use for the entire week. The work at my mosque helped promote food equality for those who required help in that area. My personal connection is that my family for some time also received food from the mosque which made my work more meaningful. Also since it was held at a mosque, I was able to connect with families that share the same values and ideas as mine and understand what they were going through. Since, COVID was still hurting many families, people were suffering from job loss, including my dad, limited to no income, illness, and difficulty in supporting their family. This program at the mosque helped relieve some of the stress that families felt.