Helping those in need together
BENWELL showed a true sense of community spirit as volunteers from Bahr Academy and the West End Food Bank came together to help those in need.
The Islamic school is passionate about doing all it can to help support the local community.
Together, volunteers cooked and served hundreds of meals to help those who are struggling with the costs of living.
After cooking 200 meals including 50 vegetable birianis, 50 birianis and 100 samosas, six volunteers spent the day serving meals to those in need.
Following a spate of vandal attacks, including one in March in which it was covered in graffiti and paraffin, the academy is determined not to let them stop it from giving something back to the community.
Dewam Shoudhury, a 50-year-old volunteer, said: “I have really enjoyed myself here today. Talking to volunteers I have learned what they are short of and what they need.
“During Ramadan we collect food at the mosque and we would love to give to the food bank.
“It is important to teach the next generation who don’t see suffering first hand about food wastage and about helping people.”
The school is hoping to bring pupils along to help at the food bank to encourage them to be a part of the community.
Muhammad Abdul Muheet, principal of Bahr Academy, said: “Our prime intention is to serve our community. When Ramadan comes, we are hoping to donate our food to the food bank to help those in our community.
“We aim to be a part of the community. We are all from the same community and this partnership with the food bank will help to build bridges and will bring us all together to help others.
“In our teaching we tell our children through helping people, the more you help the more God will assist and be with you.”
The West End Food Bank hopes through collaboration with the academy this will help engage with the wider community.
John McCorry, the food bank’s chief executive, said: “Through our connection with the academy, our service can now be informed about how to reach out to our wider community.
“It can help shape how we deliver our service if there are other people in the wider community that are in need of support that we might not have natural access to.
“Often approaches and people’s views on a food bank can be very different and we can help to ensure we better to serve our community.”
During the run-up to Christmas, the West End Food Bank is need of donations. Its wish list includes food items such as powdered milk, fruit juice, tinned tomatoes, tinned vegetables, tinned rice pudding, rice and tinned fruit.
If you would like to donate, collections points are at Church of the Venerable Bede, NE4 8A and The Food Bank Centre, Benwell Lane, NE15 6LX.