(1888PressRelease)
June 29, 2008 - “It is a part of our religion to feed the hungry,” said Obaid Kadwani. “Charity is both encouraged and required in Islam. Muslims are encouraged to feed the hungry irrespective of the religions of the hungry. It is great to showcase such a great characteristic of Islam. As everyone knows, actions speak louder than words.”
Domino’s was the pizza sponsor. Pizza in several of the shelters were sponsored by local businesses or local groups. ARY Digital sponsored the pizzas in St. Lucy’s shelter in Jersey City, New Jersey. Local Muslims of NJ, a grassroots group, sponsored the pizzas in Market Street Mission in Morristown, NJ.
“We were glad to come together and help,” said Sameena Najib, the head of Local Muslims of NJ. “Furthermore, this project has inspired us do a charity project after Ramzan, where we will feed many people.”
Musicians either volunteered their talents or agreed to play for just a stipend in all the 13 shelters. In St. John’s Bread and Life in Brooklyn, the musician was also a guest, who simply called himself Muhammad. “I’m so glad to be able to share my talent.” Said Muhammad, in between playing the African drum. “I eat in Bread and Life many times, and it makes me so happy to help in bringing the joy to the pizza party.”
“Pizza for the Hungry” expanded to New York, New Jersey, Oklahoma and Massachusetts this year, after starting in just NYC last year. eyeBLINK’s artistic director, Qurrat Kadwani, said that eyeBLINK hopes to expand to 20 states next year. “It’s going to be a lot of work. There are a lot of details that have to be taken care of to make sure that everything runs smoothly. However, we see the joy in the faces of the shelter’s guests and we see the satisfactions that the donors get, and we at eyeBLINK feel that we simply must do our part of this Sadqah.”
Obaid Kadwani added that it was very important for donors to start contributing for next year now as planning for just a big project is impossible without contributions.
Founded in 2003, eyeBLINK is a multicultural not-for-profit organization committed to promoting social change through theatre, dance and special events.
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