Ramadan ‘Cost of Living Crisis’ Appeal 2022: Stronger Together
March 29, 2022
***CLOSING UPDATE***
Our Cost of Living Crisis Appeal has now closed. Nearly 1000 of you donated to our appeal, helping us reach over £85K in donations - making it one of the most successful appeals we've ever had. A special thanks to our donors and our match funders the Beta Charitable Trust and the Lady Fatemah Trust. Your donations allowed us to distribute nearly 40,000 meals to vulnerable people in need (of all/no faiths), include a £5 gift voucher with every food parcel last week as a special Eid gift and treat 300 local asylum seekers to a delicious Eid meal (these are traumatised people forced to survive on a shocking £8 a week and not even allowed to work or claim benefits). And that's just during Ramadan!
Sadly, the cost of living crisis is only just getting started...By the end of the year, it’s likely to escalate into a full-blown emergency that affects a large section of society, not just those who are poor and vulnerable. There are no signs of things slowing down at Sufra in the months ahead, so please do consider giving a regular monthly donation if you can.
*** UPDATE***
Thanks to your amazing support, we have increased our target to £80,000. It's been truly inspiring to see you come together to support the most vulnerable in our communities this Ramadan - thank you!
Your additional donations will enable us to provide emergency aid and professional advice to hundreds of more people struggling to pay their bills and buy essential food, toiletries and baby supplies.
It's the last few days of Ramadan - let's not stop now. We are stronger together.
***Match Funding Update***
Great news: our generous match funders have now agreed to DOUBLE up to £45,000 of your donations to our Cost of Living Crisis Appeal! There are just a few more days left to help prevent food poverty in our communities - a huge thank you to everyone who has already donated.
***
"The best charity is that which you give while you fear poverty.”
– Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
This holy month of Ramadan, the cost-of-living crisis will mean that record numbers of people in our communities will face hunger, poverty and homelessness. The situation could quickly turn into a humanitarian emergency.
The UK is facing the biggest squeeze in incomes for 50 years. In some parts of Brent, almost half of all children were already living in poverty before the pandemic. From April onwards, inflation and the increased cost of fuel, food and other essentials will drive even more people to our Food Bank. The ongoing impact of the Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict will make things even worse.
At Sufra NW London, we are already providing food to 500 people a week and are expecting thousands more to experience financial crisis in the year ahead. New referrals to our Food Bank and Refugee Support Service are already as high as they were at the peak of the pandemic.
This Ramadan, there is an urgent need for people of all faiths and backgrounds to oppose injustice and unite in our support for people in crisis - including refugees and asylum seekers fleeing conflict and war.
Your Donations will be Doubled
Our target this Ramadan is to raise £80,000 to support our services. This year, Beta Charitable Trust and the Lady Fatima Trust are generously match funding your donations.
That means every pound you donate will be DOUBLED and have twice the impact.
£500 will pay for our weekly Community Kitchen service across two venues serving freshly cooked meals to anyone who turns up.
£250 provides one-to-one professional support for a refugee or asylum seeker for up to a year.
£25 provides a food parcel and essential toiletries for a family of four for a week.
Yasmin's Story
Sufra is more than a Food Bank. Our work ensures people receive the food and toiletries they urgently need, as well as access to welfare advice and other professional services designed to help them become financial independent. We have just launched a new Open ARMS program to support asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants.
Yasmin's husband died in 2016 during the conflict in Syria. When we met her and her four children she was still traumatised and desperate for help. Aside from supporting with emergency food and housing needs, our Advice Team assisted the family to register with schools and a GP, and we connected her to other Syrian families we support.
During the pandemic, the family became very isolated. Yasmin's children were not able to participate in online classes as the family did not own a laptop. Sufra provided them with two laptops, and we trained her to use Zoom. Yasmin was also able to join a Sufra workshop on energy saving and an Arabic language webinar on the Covid-19 vaccine. We are now supporting her in her search for a job whilst she volunteers at the Food Bank to gain experience.
Yasmin is just one of hundreds of people we support - but we can’t do this alone: we are #StrongerTogether.
Zakat al-Mal and Zakat al-Fitr
Sufra NW London can distribute Zakat al-Mal and Zakat al-Fitr on behalf of observant Muslims to needy individuals and families living in Northwest London.
All Zakat funds are restricted to providing emergency aid (including food, clothing and hostel accommodation). No zakat funds are used for the general running costs of the organisation.
You can find our Zakat Policy here.
To pay Zakat al-Mal (2.5% of annual savings – restricted to emergency aid) use this link.
To pay Fidya, Kaffarah or Zakat al-Fitr (£5/person – 100% restricted to food) use this link.
Take Part in our Ramadan Giving Calendar
This Ramadan you can support Sufra combat food poverty with our Ramadan Giving Calendar.
It’s super easy, we have created a Ramadan Giving Calendar, which has a list of essential items we need. Each day of Ramadan, you will place one of those items (or more) in a box, and at the end of the month, families will have a box full of items to donate to our guests!
Download the Ramadan Giving Calendar here!
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