4.5 tons of food and supplies donated to support local Food Pantry

The Ismaili Jamatkhana in Glenview hosted a drive-thru food donation drive on Saturday to support those in need amid the COVID-19 crisis. The community generously came out and volunteers collected 4.5 tons of food and hygiene items. The event was co-sponsored by the Glenview Clergy Association and I-CERV (Ismaili Community Engaged in Responsible Volunteering). Items collected were donated to the Northfield Township Food Pantry.

Northfield Township Supervisor Jill Brickman stated, "We thank the Ismaili community for setting this up and having it be so well organized. It's been a tremendous success. We helped the more than 800 families we are serving on a regular basis right now." Many families in the area have turned to the food pantry during this time of crisis as a place for support. Brickman continued to say, "We want to say a big thank you to everyone who's participated for sharing our belief that hunger is unacceptable in our community."

Members from the Glenview Police and Fire Department were on hand to show their support for the initiative. Several fire department members joined in the effort to unload donations from vehicles, help sort them out, and load them to deliver to the food pantry.

Scott Britton, Cook County Commissioner for the 14th District attended the event to donate and later posted, "It's wonderful to see the community come together to support one another!"

With the support of the entire Glenview Clergy Association, over 200 individuals attended the event to help make it a success.

"Bringing the community together for a good cause is one of the many ways our volunteers give back" said Amyna Lakhani, Honorary Secretary of the Ismaili Council for the Midwestern US.

She went on to say, "During these times, and with this being during the holy month of Ramadan, conducting a food drive was a way to donate to people in need and a way to serve mankind. We are fortunate to have partnered with a great organization that allowed us to give back to the community that we are a part of."

With the current health regulations in place, volunteers were equipped with face masks and gloves while maintaining social distancing. Donated items were mainly picked up from the trunk of cars to maintain personal safety. Reusable cloth face masks were also distributed during the event to those dropping off donations.

The Ismaili community has distributed more than 10,000 homemade cloth face masks made by volunteers out to various first responders, hospitals, and local government leaders to provide to anyone in the community in need. This include 2,500 masks donated in the last week to the City of Chicago as part of Mayor Lori Lightfoot's cloth mask drive.

When asked why he chose to volunteer during the food donation drive, I-CERV volunteer Shamil Tajuddin said, "During times of uncertainty it's a good way to come together and give back."

The Northfield Township Food Pantry was started close to 50 years ago to assist Township residents who are unable to provide enough food for themselves and their families and is an agency of the Greater Chicago Food Depository.