Women’s shelter receives backpacks, blankets from local Muslim group, doctors

LOUISVILLE, KY – Local Muslim groups in Louisville, Kentucky have donated much-needed supplies to the city’s first women-only day shelter, bringing thanksgiving joy to its members.

“We are so blessed to be in this wonderful country,” Dr. Waqar Saleem, board member of Doctors for Healthy Communities (DHC), told Wave3 News.

“I myself am a first-generation immigrant, and this Thanksgiving season just makes your heart grow so much bigger, so you want to give back. So it is just wonderful to do this.”

Wednesday’s effort was organized by members from Muslim Americans for Compassion and Doctors for Healthy Communities.

Volunteers delivered 50 backpacks and 50 blankets to Uniting Partners for Women and Children in downtown Louisville.

Uniting Partners for Women and Children opened in July.

The group provides homeless women and children with resources needed to reclaim their lives, including simple things like showers and laundry.

Thanksgiving is a celebration observed on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and the second Monday of October in Canada.

The celebration is about giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year.

Though it started as a Christian tradition, the current form of celebration is a cultural holiday observed by all people of all faiths.

The celebration is marked by family gatherings, cooking food, being thankful, watching football matches, staying home from work, and all the malls offer discounts on that occasion.