Muslim Food Bank raises more than 100K at its 9th Annual Fundraising Dinner

On Feb 24 th , the Muslim Food Bank hosted their 9th annual Fundraising Dinner at the Royal King Palace and Convention Centre. Arriving on the heels of the heaviest snowfall that the Lower Mainland has seen this winter, and against difficult odds, the dinner was a success raising more than 100,000. With over 400 guests in attendance, the first hour could only be described as organized chaos. Upon entering the venue, guests were greeted by the ticketing queue where, more often than not, they would run into a familiar face and exchange in a heartfelt greeting. Next, the guest proceeded to the hall where volunteers, tasked with ushering the guests to their seats, could be found lined up alongside the entryway to the hall, a ready smile on their faces. Only after the majority of the guests had found their seats did the night officially begin. After a brief introduction, the two hosts for the evening, Brother Kabir Qurban and Br. Imran Ali led the guests into a simple dua followed by a series of speeches prepared by various MFB organizers as well as important sponsors of the organization. Then, in an unprecedented turn of events, the opening dialogue was followed immediately by dinner being served, much to the surprise and appreciation of those attending. It was only after most of the guests had finished with what was on their plate that the true fun began. The guest speaker for the evening, one Brother Riad Ouarzazi, immediately captured the crowd’s interest by engaging them in some light hearted banter around topics such as love, marriage, and how the former was affected by the latter. No one was spared his teasing, not even MFB Director Azim Dahya himself, who found himself on the hot seat on two separate occasions, but graciously managed to navigate the situation in both instances. Brother Ouarzazi then turned his focus to the matter at hand, raising funds for MFBCS. In high spirits, the crowd was quick to respond to his call for action, and donations big and small came tumbling down. Overall, the 9th annual Muslim Food Bank Fundraising Dinner was a huge success alhamdulillah with the blessings and mercy of Allah (SWT), through the generosity of the MFBCS’ sponsors; Azim Dahya Company, Vango Vapes, Falcon Travel, Derna Dental Clinic, Swim Recruiting, Nana’s Kitchen, Islamic Relief Canada, Al Iman Islamic Centre, The BCMA, Community Outreach Pharmacy, Flying Arrows, PCRS WorkBC, Ghani Law Ltd, Metro Express, Bilal Cheema, Dr. Halah Ahmed, and Kamron Bajwa, the hard work of MFBCS’ numerous volunteers and coordinators, the efficiency of the staff at Royal King Palace and Convention Centre and of course, the participation and donations of all those who attended. To all of them, the Muslim Food Bank and Community Services Society extends its deepest thank you, and we hope to see you again next year.