A Manchester food bank has praised the Muslim community for rallying to provide halal supplies following a desperate plea for help.
Perry’s Pantry, which provides food to struggling families in south Manchester, issued the call for help after referrals for Muslim families doubled recently.
“I’m not sure why or what’s going on. The Muslim community have been absolutely fantastic though,” Jen Savaris, director at Perry’s Pantry, told Manchester World.
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“They have banded together and are sharing it everywhere. We have had ample donations dropped off since our appeal.
“We have got loads of halal meat, lentils, chickpeas. We have a good two month’s supply now.”
The food pantry, which opened in 2020 in response to COVID lockdowns, has been struggling for food in general following a ‘drastic drop’ in donations amid the cost of living crisis.
“It’s been so busy, we’ve had to stay open late,” she said. “A lot of people are struggling with it costing so much for food,” Jen said.
“We completely ran out of food this week. We stocked up on Monday and spent £400 on food but we ran out on Wednesday. We have just had so many referrals.”
The appeal came as Muslims marked `Eid Al-Adha or the feast of sacrifice which marks the end of hajj. It is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations, together with Eid Al-Fitr.
On `Eid Al-Adha, many Muslims around the world offer udhiyah or Qurban, the sacrifice of a livestock animal to seek God’s pleasure and reward by feeding the poor.