Day of Dignity in Dallas: Helping People Survive Another Day

The sun was blazing. But that didn't stop the hundreds of underserved and vulnerable locals from lining up hours before the gates opened at Dallas' Masjid al-Islam. Many of them were sweating, hungry and thirsty.

You could see the desperation in their eyes. Still, they waited patiently as scores of volunteers rushed around, readying hot plates, carefully arranging distribution stations, and laying out heaps of clothing in hopes of helping the less fortunate in their neighborhood.

With Ramadan in full swing, many of the volunteers were observing the daylong Ramadan fast and the scorching heat was audibly parching their throats. Their voices cracked when they spoke and many of them had dried saliva on their lips.

"I can't think of anything better to be doing on a fasting day," Nahida Ahmed told me. Ahmed, 28, was helping pass out food trays despite being hungry herself.

It was Islamic Relief USA's Day of Dignity – an event characterized by love, compassion and sacrifice. And volunteers flooded into the mosque at 8 a.m. to be apart of the event as if they were the ones benefiting.

For people in need, the warm meals, fresh fruit, socks, shirts, caps, hygiene kits, and all the other items available for distribution at the Day of Dignity are a beacon of hope. One less worry for mind plagued with the most difficult of stress: "Will I survive another day?"

"Every day is a challenge," 45-year-old Glenn Black told me as he munched on some rice and beef provided at the event. He balanced an Islamic Relief tote bag full of clothes between his knees. "I need these clothes because it's getting close to wintertime," he said. His skin was thick and calloused, probably from sleeping in the street.

Another beneficiary told me just how much events like the Day of Dignity impact his community. "It helps out the neighborhood a lot," Alfred Burney told me. “Especially the kids.”

The 54-year-old was impressed that Muslims were spearheading the cause. “I’m surprised that it’s Islamic Relief,” he said.

Dennye Mills, a 55-year-old toothless and homeless widow, was there for the fresh fruit because it was easier to eat than the food she was used to receiving at food banks. "God bless Islamic Relief," she said between bites.

"The need here is huge," said Islamic Relief USA’s Domestic Programs Coordinator, Karim Amin. Amin is a strong supporter of helping fellow Americans in need. "Islamic Relief USA organizes the Day of Dignity because you must help your neighbors first before you help people afar," he added.

After the event was over and the bustle died down, I made my way across the street and noticed that one of the beneficiaries had picked an abandoned building's front step to lay his head. With his arms sprawled beside him and his newly acquired shoes cordoning off his territory, I realized what was going on.

He probably couldn't sleep all night from hunger. Now with a nutritious meal in his stomach, the man could finally rest. It broke my heart to see his condition, but I was happy we could serve people like him. Without a Day of Dignity, he might have starved another day.

To learn more or to donate to Day of Dignity, click here.

-- Zeyad Maasarani

ABC News Report from Day of Dignity, Flint

Ramadan 2010: Giving to Those in Need is an Act of the Pious

Gifts, good food, friends and family are things we think about when Ramadan approaches. It is in this month that we find our tables full of food. Friends and family we hardly see throughout the year gather in one place and in the name of faith and brotherhood share a meal. It is in these times that we realize Ramadan is a gift from God, and the last ten days of this holy month is indeed a most blessed time – a time where we should focus even more on worship and giving.

A gift is a thing you give to others without expecting something in return. It is a selfless act, one that strengthens the bonds that bring people together. This is why the prophet said, "Give gifts to one another, and you will love one another. (Bukhari Manners #594)"

In this respect Ramadan is a celebration of humanity that reminds us we are not consumers. Instead, it tells us we are people with a spiritual compass that drives us to be more than who we are. A gift is a symbol and the impact that it leaves on others depends on how appropriate it is. Giving is itself a gift, and giving it to those most in need is the most appropriate gift of all -- an act of the pious:

God describes the most pious by saying in Sura al Baqara, "They spend out of love for Him on those close to them, the orphan and the needy. They spend on the wayfarer, and the beggar, and they free those in captivity from bondage. They are in constant prayer and they give as a responsibility charity. (2:177)"

It is important to give. It shows you care. It recognizes and acknowledges the value of others. More importantly, giving teaches us to think of others before ourselves. It is an act that reinforces feelings of love and compassion, even develops them towards those we may not know.

We are told to give and spend in the way of our lord so we may come to know God -- what greater gift is there than to know our creator? We have been given the opportunity to give and spend in the way of our Lord. The bounties of this giving benefit us in this world, but the best gift can we hope to receive is He who brings us near when we give.

-- Hasan Seirafi

Day of Dignity 2010: Philadelphia Slideshow

Home-Cooked Meals and More for Atlanta's Homeless and Needy at 'Day of Dignity'

A bright sun with blue skies and soft clouds was the backdrop throughout last Sunday as we visited sites in Atlanta, Georgia where Day of Dignity events took place. People gathered from all over Metro Atlanta looking to be of service on this day, dubbed the 'Day of Dignity' by Islamic Relief USA. Islamic Relief USA and Share Atlanta, supported by four local organizations, and a host of volunteers offered assistance to all who attended. This Day of Dignity would be unique in that events would take place at three different sites in Atlanta and one additional site in Clarkston.

The first location that we visited was teeming with activity by the time we arrived. People had already lined up and were receiving medical screenings and hot meals. Screenings were being done by a group of young medical professionals who chatted amicably with individuals who waited patiently for their turn at medical attention.

Volunteers directed peoples’ attention to another line where hot home-cooked meals were being dispensed. Many people took their food and, moving just out of the way of foot-traffic, sat on the sidewalk and took their time eating what they had received.

As all of this took place, haircuts were being given to those who wanted to spruce up their appearance. People kept coming to the area where the event was being staged, on Broad Street, just minutes away from the Georgia Dome. This was a rare opportunity for people to receive meals, free haircuts, personal items and medical attention, at no cost to them, all in the same place.

Not far away, a site had been established where a completely different population of people was receiving similar care and treatment. Recipients showed their appreciation with a nod of the head, a smile, and a thank you or just by the way they savored the meals which they had received. The third site had completed their work by the time we arrived, but many people who had benefited from the distribution still lingered. They were consuming their food, looking through the items they had received, all the while attempting to find shade from a sun whose heat was growing in intensity.

We arrived at the last location, Clarkston, before the event was scheduled to start. From an initial gathering of 4, at least 75 volunteers, quickly assembled and equally as fast, transformed a small area of a large apartment complex into the staging area for what was to be the day’s last Day of Dignity event. In apt anticipation of what was to take place, children, parents and those without children, but obviously in need, formed a cheerful, talkative, yet orderly line ready to receive whatever was being provided. Bags were filled with school supplies, hygiene kits, towels and other items which had been generously donated. Warm meals were provided and medical screenings where available to those who wanted to take advantage of their offering.
Day of Dignity activities are intended to provide struggling Americans with basic services like medical screenings, in addition to hot meals and aid parcels filled with blankets, clothing, hygiene kits, and other necessities. The program is designed to encourage service to others.

Islamic Relief USA is especially grateful to the all of the organizations who support Day of Dignity activities across the country and to the host of volunteers who constitute the workforce who carry out the actual activities from city to city. We know that for many, this event is a part of greater service that those volunteers do throughout the year. Please consider replicating this event in your locality.

--Saleem Khalid, Islamic Relief USA Domestic Programs Manager

A Voice for Flood Victims: Anwar Khan Leaves Pakistan to Begin "Real Job"

I am leaving Pakistan with a heavy heart. I have seen much devastation and misery in a relatively short time. I came to observe the distribution and the situation on the ground, but now my real job begins: to speak for all those people whose cries for help have not been heard.

I understand people's concerns about aid not reaching beneficiaries and their feelings about financial corruption. As we continue asking these questions, aid that should have arrived weeks ago has not even been sent. As we wait, children are dying from malnutrition and diarrhea.

It's never easy or simple to get aid to the people who need it most, but Islamic Relief has already helped more than 100,000 people affected by the floods. At press conferences and via any medium I can communicate through, I am encouraging people to give. Give to an organization you trust. There are organizations that have reputable track records in Pakistan and Islamic Relief USA is one of them.

We are in a race against time to reduce the number of people who will die from malnutrition, diarrhea, malaria and cholera. Young, already malnourished children are the most at risk. And the most critical time to save lives is now.

Please donate now.

Day of Dignity in Philadelphia: A Time for Unity

The young veiled woman handed a Day of Dignity flyer to the homeless man standing in front of her. He looked down at the flyer and noticed the event location. “I used to live right by there,” he said. “I lived on the church steps at 21st and Chestnut.” Monika Nagpal was devastated to hear this, “because he referred to his home as a set of steps,” she said. Nagpal tirelessly served as coordinator of Islamic Relief USA’s Day of Dignity in Philadelphia this past Sunday.

Outside the gated doors of First Unitarian Church, in the heart of the city, hundreds of homeless and impoverished people filed into the church pews and stood in a line running outside and around the block to receive bags, ponchos, hygiene items, blankets, clothing, toiletries, medical, dental and vision screenings and food, all served by over 100 volunteers with warm smiles and kind greetings. Many volunteers were devout Muslims who were also fasting amid the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

Philadelphia’s Day of Dignity was a joint collaboration between Islamic Relief USA, the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Fixing Philly, United Muslim Foundation, Philadelphia Jews for a Just Peace, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and First Unitarian Church.

Shirleen, an elderly aid beneficiary, was seated in one of the church’s pews just before aid distribution began. She talked about people of different faiths coming together to help out the needy in their community: “It’s a good thing,” said Shirleen. “We’re all united as one.”

Read the rest of this blog post here.

-- Muneeza Tahir