Category: Blackhall

Blackhall Mosque – Sunday 29 January House O’Hill Rd, Edinburgh EH4 2AJ

Islamic Relief UK is partnering with community pillars including Blackhall Mosque, Crookston Community Group and Masjid Al Hikmah to distribute 500 essential food hampers and supermarket vouchers to vulnerable families.

The new year continues to see the cost of living crisis pushing families into poverty and Scotland has seen an alarming rise in food insecurity and the need for financial assistance, fuelling the need for food banks across the city.

Islamic Relief UK will continue to support the most affected through food banks, mosques and other organisations but are calling on the UK government to ensure people have adequate incomes to cover the essentials. 

A new report by the Resolution Foundation finds that there are large increases in people unable to afford essentials compared to the pre-pandemic period. In November 2022, 28 per cent (up from 9 per cent pre-pandemic) of adults say that they could not afford to eat balanced meals, and 11 per cent or 6 million adults (up from 5 per cent pre-pandemic) reported being hungry in the past month but they didn’t eat as they lacked enough money to buy food.

These very alarming outcomes are more common among groups known to experience disadvantage. This includes low-income families, those suffering from domestic abuse, the homeless, asylum seekers and refugees who were already struggling to feed themselves.

Many families in Scotland have been hit hard by the pandemic and suffered a cold Winter of choosing whether to heat or eat.

To help some of the most vulnerable, hampers will be packed with essential food by staff and volunteers, before delivery to locations across the city and residents.

The food packs will contain essential items such as bread, pasta, tea, biscuits, oil, sugar and others.

Tufail Hussain, Director of Islamic Relief UK said: “Food banks are not a sustainable or dignified way to help people who are struggling to survive because they do not have a sufficient or reliable income. We will continue to support the most vulnerable through our programmes, but food banks should not exist in one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

“The current cost of living crisis has revealed just how much the UK’s benefits system is failing to support those on the lowest incomes. Only long-term structural change will give people the best chance of escaping poverty and living with dignity.   

“The UK government must do more to deal with the immediate impacts of the cost of living crisis, but also undertake a fundamental review of the UK’s social security system with a view to ensuring benefits provide people with an adequate income to cover their essential needs.”

About Blackhall Mosque and Association of Scottish Muslims

Association of Scottish Muslims (formely CEPA) is a registered charity founded in 2001 by concerned Muslims from Edinburgh. Its purpose is to work with the Muslim community and statutory organisations to build an infrastructure to provide a range of services to promote the inclusion, the development and the welfare of Muslims, enabling them to become a responsible and thriving part of civic life.

Locations:

Masjid Al Hikmah – Saturday January 28 2023 11am – 4pm 31-33 St Clement Street, Aberdeen, AB11 5FU

Blackhall Mosque – Sunday 29 January, 1 House O’Hill Rd, Edinburgh EH4 2AJ

Crookston Community Group – Tuesday January 31 11am-3pm 1005 Paisley Road West, Glasgow, G52 1EQ