BCMA Masjid Al-Salaam Burnaby hosted its final Monthly Food bank

On May 6th, Masjid Al-Salaam in Burnaby hosted its final monthly food bank before Ramadan. Mrs. Doris Mah, who works in Community Engagement at the office of Member of Parliament Peter Julian, from the riding of New Westminster-Burnaby was in attendance. Documents from the RCMP which were translated into Arabic, in- cluding a guide for newcomers to Canada and a colouring book for children on safety were distributed. The Burnaby Branch has been running a food bank out of the mosque on Canada Way since 2007 and is will distribute over 42,000 pounds of food this year. The food bank opened in 2007, serving just five local needy families, but now has over 100 recipient families, many with large numbers of children. On the first Sunday of each month, volunteers pack the food. Families receive a 70-pound basket of items including meat, oil, canned goods, breakfast cereal, crackers, fresh bread, sugar, salt, tea, coffee, juice, margarine, peas and much more. Most of the recipients are from war torn countries in Africa, and from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.