Cape Town - With the holy month of Ramadaan less than two months away, residents are gearing up with charitable distributions, heightened during the month of Ramadaan, and have encouraged members of the public to follow suit.
Community leader and education activist Abdurahman Khan, 63, and his family will be distributing food parcels – usually a week prior to the commencement of Ramadaan –to around 50 struggling families.
The Rylands Estate resident has been distributing food parcels since the early 1980s.
“It is mainly distributed in the surrounding areas of Athlone. We also give to Rylands Primary School. Because of the need of families that fast during the month of Ramadaan, we felt that due to them fasting the whole day, and for them not to sleep on empty bellies, the need arises for them to be given these food parcels,” Khan said.
Khan said no one would be turned away should their need for food be dire.
UWC third-year pharmacy student Ameerah Khan, 20, has been assisting her father with the distributions since attending primary school, about eight years ago.
“My dad always received food parcels from other people to distribute in the community and decided that we as a family should donate the groceries ourselves, from our own pockets.
“The idea of us as a family doing it is to encourage and inspire other families to do so. Imagine the difference of 50 families distributing food parcels to 50 poor families,” Khan said.
“We know that Covid-19 played havoc and breadwinners lost their jobs, and organisations that normally feed poor people are also struggling due to lack of finances.
“Businesses that normally donate are finding it difficult because of financial constraints caused by Covid-19. We therefore find the need to have alternative ways of feeding the poor. We would like to see this venture not only happening in Ramadaan but throughout the year.
“We are not looking for donations, but merely want to create awareness and encourage other families to do likewise.”