Boxing champ joins the fight to keep needy fed
VOLUNTEERS from Rochdale’s Muslim community were joined by world champion boxer Amir Khan to prepare 1,000 food packages for the area’s families in need.
The Bolton-born sportsman joined 25 volunteers from Manchester-based charity Human Appeal at Haji Cash and
Carry on Dowling Street for a food packing session on Friday (May 1).
The charity has already delivered over 4,000 meals to hospitals, over 700 meals to homeless people, and nearly 300 emergency food parcels to the elderly during the coronavirus lockdown.
Fundraising director Zaheer Khan said: “Our partners reach out to us and say they’ve got worthy families in our local communities who are really struggling - some are in quarantine and unable to go out but others are struggling because of loss of work, children being at home because of no school.
“We’re hearing genuine stories of families who are struggling to put on that extra meal for their children because their lunch was normally at school.
“So to be able to serve just a small gift for these families means a lot to us.”
Human Appeal has international operations in Syria, Yemen and Iraq but says the coronavirus pandemic has ushered in a new focus on its local work in Rochdale and further afield through its partnerships with charities including Age UK and Manchester’s Myriad Foundation.
Zaheer said: “This virus has given us an opportunity to expand our UK programme’s work - we’ve always worked in the UK supporting vulnerable communities, the homeless, but this has been a real impetus for us to do much more.
“Since Covid-19 has kicked in we’ve given out around 2,000 food parcels already and the donations are coming in from the community not just here in the UK but around the world.”
Amir Khan’s helping hand at the packing session is something Zaheer hopes will grow into a collaboration between
Human Appeal and the ex-world champion’s own foundation, which works to support disadvantaged young people.
Zaheer added that it had been “heartwarming” to see the charity’s work, inspired by Islamic values, benefiting the whole Rochdale community.
He said: “Many of our volunteers come from the Muslim faith and they are fasting right now, putting meals together for people in the wider community, so it’s really nice to see that.
“We’re supporting people of all faiths, we’ve had people from all backgrounds come to take away food and it’s just so nice to see the harmony and the multiculturalism aspects that we’ve witnessed here in Rochdale.”