Our Place Newark Project Update and
FACTS
Salaam:
I hope this finds you in the best of health and highest of Iman.
I am reaching out to
you because you have always been a strong supporter of Muslims Against Hunger
and I value your support. Alhumdulillah, through your contributions
last year, Muslims Against Hunger fed over 50,000 people in need across North
America, Haiti and Pakistan. We also mobilized over 3,000 young volunteers to
help feed those in need. We launched new feeding programs in Basking
Ridge, Union City, Paterson and the Greater Newark area ( i.e. Irvington, East
Orange and Newark Penn Station).
We sponsored a
summer camp 30 day feeding program for over 1,000 children in Haiti along with
our US partners and also funded clean water projects at 4 schools in Haiti.
In rural Pakistan,
our sister organization “Hamara Ghar Pakistan” launched a School Lunch program
that is feeding over 1,000 meals to children on school days.
In addition we have
been running a “Day Time Drop in Shelter for Homeless – Known as Our Place
Morristown” which has been servicing around 15,000 visits by homeless every
year with various social services including daily breakfast.
I am very grateful
for your support because none of this could have been accomplished without your
support!
As you know, in year 2010, at the urging of a
few community members, I had taken on the Our Place Newark project to set up a
location in Newark where we could provide a variety of services to those in
need. These community members had pledged to help fund the
project. However since then, they have abandoned their
commitment and support to raise funds for this project over ideological
differences and vision of MAH. While this deeply saddened us, we believe this
experience has strengthened Muslims Against Hunger because we have articulated
a vision that is shared by our supporters, a Vision “To BE a MUSLIMS
SPEARHEADED, ALL FAITHS INCLUSIVE, leading community-based movement that
addresses hunger, poverty and homelessness issues globally.”
We look forward to achieving this vision
with your help and ongoing support.
Since that experience, We had to re-evaluate
the Our Place-Newark Project. It would take approximately $2 million to get the
Newark facility to be operational with all the projected service goals. So
rather than raise and invest $2 million in bricks and mortar, Our Board
and all other stakeholder believe that Muslims Against Hunger should remain
focused on services and DIVEST from the Newark project.
Therefore, last year on 9/11, we launched our
HUNGER VAN Project – a Social Action Center on wheels.(for details of the
project please visit www.hungervan.org ) This project allows
community members to host a Hunger Van event, known as HUNGER RUN at their
homes, office, faith institutions, schools, where 100 to 300 meals are prepared
and loaded into the HUNGER VAN. These meals are then taken to the homeless
where the homeless are instead of where services exist. All the
funds collected for the Our Place-Newark project will go directly towards
supporting the Hunger Van's services in the Newark area also, as promised to
our donors.
While I was misguided by a few former supporters and community members to take on the Our Place-Newark project, I realized, I too
was at fault, because I should have never taken on the project until all
the necessary funds to get the project to be operational were in place. This
experience was a learning curve for me and this mistake was one I had to make
in order to learn, grow and strengthen Muslims Against Hunger Project.
Our vision for the next 2 years is to have 3
Hunger Vans running from New Jersey, Boston and Washington DC to cover all
north east and bring the project to other part of North America. Also, set up a
free Mobile Health Clinic in the HUNGER VAN to provide essential healthcare
services to the homeless and needy. Additionally, we want to expand our
services via the HUNGER VAN to Paterson, Trenton, Philadelphia, Camden,
Brooklyn, Queens, Washington DC, Baltimore, Boston, Springfield–MA, Portland,
Maine, Chicago, Syracuse-NY, Birmingham-NY, Westchester-NY and a 2nd location
in Toronto Canada.
InshaAllah, we can achieve this and much more
through the grace of God and your continued support.
Last year, we had tremendous impact but in coming years, we plan to have much
more.
Thank you for your continued support of Muslims
Against Hunger Project and sharing our vision to help those in need around
us. Not only are we fulfilling our obligations to God by engaging in these
projects but we are changing the perceptions of Islam and Muslims in North
America every day. May Allah reward you and your family for your good
intentions and good deeds.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Zamir Hassan
zamir@muslimsagainsthunger.org
908-364-4441