ICNA Relief Pantry on Hillcroft to Serve People of All Backgrounds

Halal Meat from Hira Farms

By Ilyas Choudry, TMO

Houston (Our Special Correspondent): “There are huge Rewards in serving food to those who are in need. In Quran, it is mentioned in Verses (Aayah) 8-9 of Chapter (Surah) AL-Insaan that they feed food — despite their own desire for it — to the indigent, and the orphan and the captive (saying): ‘We feed you purely for the Sake of God. We desire no reward from you, nor thankfulness.”

This quote was mentioned by some of the speakers at the inaugural ribbon cutting ceremony of the Second ICNA Relief Houston Food Pantry. It has been established in the Desi Heartland of Hillcroft Avenue between Harwin & Westpark, in the Gandhi Business District, located at 5645 Hillcroft Avenue, Suite # 405, Houston, Texas 77036.

Earlier ICNA Relief established a Food Pantry near Downtown Houston just besides the ICNA Relief Women Shelter located at 4021 Baden Street, Houston, Texas 77009 (off I-45 North).

“Interaction of Muslims with the people around is crucial for a healthy society. ICNA Houston Chapter has been doing every Sunday Downtown Feed the Hungry Program for a long time now, and with this Food Pantry Project coming to Houston, we will able to better our outreach to the people living around us,” said Brother FarazKhan, President ICNA Houston.

“We needed something like this for a long time from the Muslim Community and that too in the central area of the city. True Muslims are the ones’ relevant to the society. They are always at service of the mankind, especially taking good care of their neighbors. At times we do not realize that in a country of affluence like USA, there is also abject poverty and hunger. Food Pantry is a huge contribution of ICNA Relief to the society at large around us in Houston,” said the Keynote Speaker of the event Brother Mustafa Carroll, Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations Texas (CAIR).

Musab Abdali, Coordinator of Young Muslims Boys (YM Brothers) was the Emcee of the event.

“It is good to see that this Food Pantry has a section for personal hygiene items. Cleanliness is considered as Half the Faith in Islam, and it leads to neat and healthy life. So this Pantry will not only take care of the food provisions, but also personal hygiene items like soap, shampoo, tooth paste, tooth brush, detergent, etc. will be available, improving the overall well being & health of those, who cannot afford these otherwise basic needs to life,” added ILyas Hasan Choudry, Director of Programs of Sister Organization of ICNA called Helping Hand For Relief & Development (HHRD).

“We at Hira Halal Meat are proud and feel humbled to be associated with this Food Pantry Project of ICNA Relief. We will be supplying donated meat to this Pantry. We will donate meat ourselves, plus people, who will come to us to prepare their Sadaqah, Qurbani, and other donated Meat, they can leave that meat with us and we will bring that to ICNA Relief Food Pantry,” informed Brother Syed Nayyar Raza of Hira Halal Meat Slaughter House, which is located at 19922 Bauer Hockley, Tomball, Texas 77377 (1.281.650.8623).

“This Pantry will serve the food needs of Non-Muslims and Muslims alike, with no discrimination. There will be traditional food section for the immigrant communities, Halal Meat as well as all food items here being halal to fulfill the for Muslim Dietary Requirements; Plus regular food items that we get in USA. We need much help from the community, in terms of In-Kind Donated Food Items, Cash Donations, other In-Kind Gifts like Freezers & Fridge for Meat, etc.,” requested Brother Shabbir Hasan, Coordinator of ICNA Relief USA in Houston.

For more information about ICNA Relief Programs and Services, please call Brother Shabbir Hasan 1.832.302.1681 and/or Sister Seemi Bukhari at 1.713.692.2408 (Office Phone – 11AM – 5PM).

16-27