Islamic Relief UK – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Islamic Relief UK distributes food this Ramadan

TODAY AT BLACKHALL MOSQUE

The charity, Islamic Relief UK, has launched its annual Ramadan food drive for 2024, to help the UK’s vulnerable communities who have been affected by rising poverty levels and the cost-of-living crisis.

The food distribution will take places across the UK, in cities such as London, Birmingham, Leicester, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Luton and Nottingham, as the need is widespread. Islamic Relief will be working in collaboration with 18 of its local partners, such as food banks, mosques, football clubs, and local charities.

According to research undertaken by Islamic Relief, and polling company Savanta (1), over half of people in the UK are struggling more with their bills and food prices than they were a year ago, and 30% of Brits are worried about having to use a food bank in the near future. The data points that almost all people in the UK, across all strata of society, have been negatively affected by the cost-of-living crisis and are concerned about the future.

Tufail Hussain, director of Islamic Relief UK, adds: “Poverty in the UK has been exacerbated by years of the cost-of-living crisis, and families are struggling more than ever to put food on the table. It is imperative more than ever to come together as a community and support one another.”

“The research we conducted spells a worrying outlook for the UK, with no community of social group spared from the tough reality of the cost-of-living crisis. But for the already vulnerable, the homeless, refugees and asylum seekers, the poor, it is catastrophic. Now more than ever we are so grateful for the outpouring of support that allows us to provide food distributions such as this one.”

Locations and dates for the food distributions are as follows:


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Community pillars join hands with Islamic Relief UK to help struggling families hit by the cost of living crisis

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

Living-Standards-Outlook-2023 Download

Islamic Relief UK and Blackhall Mosque team up to help vulnerable families in Edinburgh

Islamic Relief UK partnered with Blackhall Mosque yesterday to distribute 500 essential food packs to vulnerable people in Edinburgh including the homeless, asylum seekers, refugees and women who have suffered domestic abuse.

Scotland has seen a stark rise in families needing financial assistance and help with food. According to the poverty and inequality commission, one in four children in Scotland (24%) and one in five working-age people (19%) are living in poverty.

Many people have been hit hard by the pandemic, including, low-income families, those suffering from domestic abuse, the homeless, asylum seekers and refugees who were already struggling to feed themselves and many prioritising eating or heating as they struggle to pay their bills.

The food packs contained 30 items including, rice, pasta and beans.

With poverty levels in the UK increasing, Islamic Relief UK is also distributing food parcels across the country with different partners.

Imam Sohail Ashqaue, Blackhall Mosque, said: “We begin by thanking Allah SWT (God) for giving us all the opportunity to serve his creation. Indeed this is a blessing as we work with Islamic Relief UK to deliver 500 food packs to families who have been struggling to feed themselves this winter.

“We would like to thank all the volunteers who will help make this happen and we look forward to continuing this great partnership with Islamic relief UK to ensure the most vulnerable in our community receive the support they require.

“We are glad to be helping those in Edinburgh as part of a wider distribution by Islamic Relief UK and partners that are taking place across the UK.

“With rising utility bills and many businesses not recovering from the pandemic, many people are facing huge insecurity towards their future.

“The hardship that many families and individuals are dealing with right now is unimaginable, and this distribution will go a long way to help alleviate that.”

Nadeem Baqir, Regional Community Fundraising Manager, Islamic Relief UK said: “We are proud to be working with Blackhall Mosque to reach out to some of the most vulnerable people in Scotland. The Mosque plays an important role in the community and has been a lifeline for many people.

“With the high cost of living and the pandemic, we have seen families struggle to pay for just the essentials such as food and warmth and many have had to resort to food banks.

“This winter, the work of Blackhall Mosque will make a huge difference to many families and we thank them for their amazing efforts to help those in need.”

Islamic Relief UK and Blackhall Mosque team up to support Edinburgh’s vulnerable families

Islamic Relief UK and Blackhall Mosque team up to help some of the most vulnerable families in Edinburgh.

Tomorrow, Sunday 23 January, Islamic Relief UK will partner with Blackhall Mosque to distribute 500 essential food packs to vulnerable people in Edinburgh including the homeless, asylum seekers, refugees and women who have suffered domestic abuse.

The food packs – will contain 30 items including, rice, pasta and beans.