Feeding the homeless for Ramadan

By Richard B. Muhammad - Editor | Last updated: Jun 21, 2016 - 8:21:25 AM

(L) Bro. Benjamin Muhammad shares copy of The Final Call. (Center) Muslims engage in effort to serve and feed the homeless in Chicago. (R) Men, women and children of Mosque Maryam in Chicago have regularly feed homeless men and women through Mission Feed the People.

CHICAGO—During the Holy Month of Ramadan, Muslims fast and engage in acts of kindness. At Mosque Maryam the Muslim month of fasting and prayer means extending an ongoing service—feeding the homeless.

Each week during Ramadan, the Believers go out and feed some 100 to 150 people meals that are nutritious and distributed in a giving spirit, says Carmella Muhammad, who has spearheaded Mission Feed the People for almost four years. The group even has a Facebook page.

The owner of Supalicious Soups and soon to open Rock the Islands restaurant is a cook herself and started by just deciding to go out and recruit others to feed people.

Ramadan is the month in which the Qur’an, the Muslim book of scripture, was revealed and it exhorts Muslims to feed the poor, she notes.

But more than that, Ramadan is an opportunity to get more in tune with what Allah (God) wants us to do, Sister Carmella says. It’s unifying, it’s like a reset button and a time to align yourself with Allah and you, by doing the things that Allah commands you to do, she says.

Doing good is what Allah commands and, while it’s not the motivation, doing good brings blessings into your own life, adds Sister Carmella, whose family roots are in Haiti.

Her initial thought about feeding the homeless came because she was unable to feed hungry people in Haiti. Instead of doing nothing, she began feeding the homeless in Chicago.

Mission Feed the People is a volunteer and great team effort with the Believers in Mosque Maryam donating their time, food and resources to serve those who are suffering and often forgotten. Year round it operates every two weeks, but for Ramadan, the effort is done weekly.

Donations often come from what Believers purchase from the Nation of Islam Able Program, such as whiting fish, which is prepared and given away. The men and women of the Nation participate in the mission together. The Fruit of Islam, men of the Nation, distribute copies of The Final Call newspaper along with food. Muslim women give away food and at times clothing, toiletries and personal items. The F.O.I. provide cases of water. Muslim children participate in the food distribution and get a chance to learn important lessons about service.

Photos: Haroon Rajaee

The Muslims find those going through tough times are more likely to hear a message of truth coming from the Teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and no one is denied food—regardless of race, creed, class or color. Those who are served come in different colors, different ages, different genders and sometimes include families and single women out on the street with children. Meals are even served to security staff at the gathering place near a Christian mission on the west side of downtown Chicago.

Muslims who are Black and Muslims who are Arab have been served, Sister Carmella notes. Some of the Arab Muslims, won’t eat unless it’s our food, she says.

The people are served with respect so they give us respect, Sister Carmella says. Allowing people to maintain their dignity, showing kindness and respect are important, she stresses. You can’t serve people properly if you treat people like they are a problem, she says.

The homeless men have learned how to serve the women first and those who served have a positive impression of the Nation of Islam, Sister Carmella proudly observes. “They know the food that we are going to serve them is food we would eat ourselves,” she says. The Qur’an says the poor should be fed with what you would feed yourself during Ramadan, she notes.

The basic meal served consists of chicken, fish, vegetables and rice and usually topped off with bean pie, she said.

“I pray this mission will allow us to acquire agricultural land to house homeless people and teach them how to cultivate the land and earn a living to move on with their lives,” Sister Carmella says. Until her vision for an educational and agricultural center for homeless people becomes a reality, she and the Believers will continue to serve the homeless where they are and make their lot just a little easier.

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