Volunteers in Detroit distribute excess food after Iftar during Ramadan
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.
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.'
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Arab News
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- Arab News
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Moreover, once these large organizations become involved, they produce reports, which can cause the stories they collect to become disconnected from their grassroots origins. This detachment results in a loss of emotional connection, and although their work is carried out with the best intentions, the once-engaging story becomes a product to sell, justifying funding for the organization. Furthermore, past actions have left many people skeptical of these large organizations, many of which are perceived as imposing colonial-style solutions on local communities. Therefore, we must recognize that risks arise from both climate change-induced events and human responses to them. This situation is worsened because most adaptation decisions are made in a context of profound uncertainty, as we cannot accurately predict the magnitude or speed of climate change, let alone develop policies to address these changes. 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Locally-led adaptation and community-based storytelling offer a more socially just, bottom-up opportunity for identifying and implementing climate adaptation strategies. Hassan Alzain Because their very survival demands change, these communities have begun sharing their narratives with the wider world. Instead of relying on top-down, policy-driven directives from institutions and governments that impose change, locally-led adaptation and community-based storytelling offer a more socially just, bottom-up opportunity for identifying and implementing climate adaptation strategies. The Talanoa Dialogue is one structure designed to elicit change through storytelling. The word 'Talanoa' originates from the Pacific region of Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji and describes an inclusive approach to addressing complex challenges, centred on sharing stories and experiences. 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