After breaking fast, volunteers use Ramadan as an opportunity to give in
Detroit
[March 22, 2025]
By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — After a nightly iftar meal with family members
breaking fast together during Ramadan, Nadine Daoud noticed full pots
and trays of untouched leftover food lining the shelves of her
grandmother's refrigerator. Too often, she felt the food was quickly
forgotten and then wasted.
The observations inspired her 2017 creation of The Helping Handzzz
Foundation that brings volunteers together each year during the Islamic
holy month. They round up spare food from families in Dearborn — where
nearly half the 110,000 residents are of Arab descent — and bring it to
people without homes in neighboring Detroit.
Daoud said the group's efforts are emblematic of Islam's emphasis on
respecting and valuing resources such as food and matches Ramadan's
focus on “self-discipline and empathy toward those less fortunate.”
“Every family cooks a lot of food to end the night when you’re breaking
your fast,” Daoud said. “And a lot of food gets left over. And we
noticed that a lot of this food was just getting stored in the fridge
and forgotten about the next day.
“What I decided to do was instead of sticking it in the fridge and
forgetting about it or throwing it in the trash, I said, ‘Let me take
it. I always see people on the corners. Let me help out and give it to
them instead with a drink and a nice treat on the side.’"
One recent night, Helping Handzzz board members Hussein Sareini and
Daoud Wehbi and four others enjoyed an iftar prepared by Sareini’s
mother.
When the meal ended, several attendees said some of the daily prayers.
Then, Wehbi hopped in Sareini’s truck, and they stopped at several area
homes to pick up untouched dishes. From there, they drove to the parking
lot of a nearby mosque, where Nadine Daoud and others organized the
food.
[to top of second column]
|
A caravan of vehicles then visited several spots in Detroit where
people without housing regularly can be found.
Board member Mariam Hachem approached a man bundled up in blankets
and lying on the sidewalk.
“Hi, we have a meal for you,” she said. “We’re going to set it right
here, OK?”
“OK,” came the response.
Other volunteers added bottled water and a sweet treat alongside the
food container.
The Helping Handzzz team goes through the same process six nights
each week during the sacred month, taking off Sundays. And it comes
after going without food or water from sunrise to sunset.
Wehbi, 27, is a design engineer at Toyota. Sareini demolishes
bathrooms and kitchens and rebuilds them as part of his residential
remodeling business.
The 25-year-old Dearborn resident said he gladly stays out until 9
p.m. or 10 p.m. each day to put some “good out into the world.”
“It’s all about appreciating what you have,” he said.
Wehbi said it’s no coincidence he and his friends undertake their
annual effort during Ramadan.
“It’s not just a ‘no food, no drink’ time,” he said. “It’s a lot
about growing and coming together as a community and bettering
ourselves and bettering each other.”
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
