Coronavirus pandemic, no doubt, has wreaked havoc on many families, with many charities offering free food to help them make ends meet.

For the Muslim community in Long Island, the absence of halal food banks made the pandemic even more difficult.

In an effort to reach those in need, a Long Island halal food pantry has opened to help members of the Muslim community, Newsday reported.

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The opening ceremony, held on Saturday, was attended by community leaders and elected officials.

“Throughout the pandemic, we had a lot of Muslim families who were in need but for religious reasons were unable to accept food from pantries or different organizations,” Assemblyman Phil Ramos (D-Brentwood), said.

“So what this food pantry does is it attends to the needs of a segment of our community that is growing fast.”

The halal food will be presented by Pronto and the Progressive American Community Empowerment group, a Pakistani American organization.

Islam advocates feeding the hungry, regardless of race, religion or background. It is such an important part of the religion that Prophet Muhammad said a person is not really a Muslim if he goes to bed satiated while his neighbor goes hungry. 

In another hadith, Prophet Muhammad said, “Feed the hungry, visit the sick, and set free the captives.” Al-Bukhari

Hoping to get the reward from Allah, there are many Islamic charities that strive to alleviate hunger and suffering around the world.