Two Hands, One Meal, One Smile

By Hajra Khatri

Ten thousand meals, ten thousand smiles. The Muslim Youth of Greater Detroit (MYGD) gathered good-hearted volunteers and their two hands to participate in a food packaging day. Kids Against Hunger is a national organization on a mission to feed starving children in the US and around the world. MYGD teamed up with Kids Against Hunger for the first time on April 23rd. Around 110 volunteers of different faiths partook in this event. The day started with a feeling of excitement and ended with a sense of pride.  Volunteers from all over the area were given the chance to suit up and package food. Plastic gloves pulled on and hair covered up, volunteers were placed at stations. Each station had a specific task, vital for the formation of the bag. The first station volunteer rationed vitamin-fortified crushed soy into the food bags. The next three volunteers scooped dehydrated vegetables, chicken-flavored vegetarian powder, and white rice respectively into the bags. The bags were then passed onto volunteers who ensured the mass of the bags were 350 grams each. The bags were tightly sealed to guarantee a shelf life of three to five years. Bags were then packaged into boxes, ready to be sent out to local cities, and even countries like Japan and Pakistan. Ten thousand meals were packaged on that day by adults, teenagers, and even young children!  Feeha Hasan, an active teen in the Muslim community, praised Kids Against Hunger and MYGD for teaming up for this event. After participating in this event, she said, “Kids Against Hunger was a really fun and memorable experience. It was my first year and I plan on volunteering next year. Not only did this day teach me that many people die from hunger, but also that it is our duty to help the people who are in need. It was a great idea to have interfaith groups along with the Muslim community. I enjoyed working with others!”  Many youngsters like Hasan participated in this event for the very first time. By the grace of Allah (SWT), the event was a success! MYGD would like to thank those from the IAGD community who sponsored this event! This event would not have been made possible without the generous contributions. InshAllah, MYGD hopes to team up with Kids Against Hunger next year for another successful event. Our two hands can make a difference in the world. Our two hands can make meals which lead to smiles from children all around the world. It takes our two hands and our hearts to make a difference. MYGD thanks those who made a difference.

13-19