Chaudry said their aim is "to give the poor and needy a way to survive"

CHICAGO, December 16 (IslamOnline.net) – Volunteers of the U.S. first Muslim-run pantry work year-round to serve needy fellow Americans of all faiths and backgrounds without discrimination.

The Sabeel Food Pantry, provides food stuffs and other consumables to the needy, the hungry and the homeless of all religious backgrounds, said the Chicago Tribune Sunday, December 14.

Established this year by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA), Sabeel purpose is "to provide caring and deserving quality service and an equitable sharing of pantry resources with those who are less privileged."

Striving to do this through a "dignified service" it hopes to "enhances the goodwill of the community as a whole and the pride of each person who wishes to GIVE or is in need to RECEIVE."

Quadir Latifi, who heads the pantry which operates on a budget of $800,000, asserted that they do not want to turn anyone away.

"When it comes to hunger, you can't discriminate," he said. "When people are hungry and need bread, that's what our mission is."

Echoing similar position, IFNC President and Executive Director Muhammad Muniz Chaudry said the mission of Sabeel [Arabic for "way"] is "to give the poor and needy a way to survive.

"You're going to be judged on what you do in the hereafter. We're preparing ourselves for the hereafter," he averred.

The Chicago-based pantry, which operates on a budget of $800,000, is open every Monday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., for all who have fallen on hard times.

"We say this is God's building," said Laleh Bahktiar, production director for Kazi Publications, which shares space with the pantry at 3031 W. Belmont Ave.

"It's really a blessing that it's here. This is one way to fulfill the deeds [required] of a Muslim in ways that are possible."

Volunteers

The IFANCA director attributed the success of the project to volunteers, particularly Chicago's taxi drivers, given that half of them are Muslims.

Jahan Ghaemi, an Iranian immigrant and a taxi driver, takes Sabeel food on his route to feed the hungry, the homeless and the invalids, answering the call of his faith.

"It doesn't matter what religion you are," he said, asserting that it is "everyone's responsibility to help others."

But volunteers do not necessarily have to be Muslim, since the project is based on "human values rather than religious values", said Chaudry.

Yet, it is a way to educate others about Islam.

"Feeding the poor has always been a big part of our faith," Rabiah Ahmed, communications coordinator for the Washington-based Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), told the paper.

"But it's always been part of something you do in your own community. In America, you can't live like that. You have to go beyond your borders. These types of concerns affect people of all different faiths," she said.

'A Blessing'

Eddie Dade, who was laid off from his job cleaning airplanes, could not believe his eyes when he spotted the Sabeel pantry.

"I thought, Could this be real? Could this actually be happening? It certainly is a blessing."

He said depends on the Muslim charity to support his wife and 7-year-old daughter.

"Ever since I saw it, we've had plenty of bread and plenty of canned goods," he said. "The situation is OK."

Dade also sent a friend in need a Sabeel package, being thankful for the generous food stuffs provided by the pantry.