The nonprofit in Fresh Meadows had 140 boxes filled with groceries ready to be picked up on Wednesday.
Photo by Iryna Shkurhan
Women for Afghan Women(WAW), a nonprofit organization based in Fresh Meadows, held a food distribution event on Wednesday, March 6 ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.
The organization distributed 140 large boxes filled with shelf stable groceries such as rice, oats, pasta, oil and dry dates. The Ramadan distribution event coincided with food distribution out of their center in Alexandria, Virginia, which opened two years ago. Across both sites, the grocery filled boxes donated by the nonprofit Islamic Relief USA will feed approximately 700 individuals.
“We have gotten a lot of new evacuees from Afghanistan, as well as a lot of asylum seekers in the city, for whom this is their first Ramadan here. The majority of them do not have anything,” said Naheed Samadi Bahram, the U.S Country Director of WAW. “We want to make sure that they feel safe and have something to eat.”
It marked the first time that WAW held a food distribution event. Their other distribution events have focused on providing clothing, personal hygiene essentials and household items for refugees that arrived from Afghanistan. And in the past they have also handed out grocery store gift cards for new arrivals, which they found gives people a sense of autonomy during the resettlement process.
“It’s in our religion to give back to the community, to share food, especially during Ramadan for those who cannot afford it themselves. And these food boxes will allow the families to prepare the food the way that they want,” added Bahram during the distribution. “We reached out to those we know do not have food during this time.”
The center offers a range of services such as ESL classes at the nearby Queens College, applying for services and legal support such as family reunification and citizenship applications. All their services are pro bono,…
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