.png "Tim Siyasah")
 |
| Ziyaad Mia |
Penggalangan
dana Toronto (Kanada) yang mendorong masyarakat menyumbang untuk sebuah bank
makanan selama Ramadhan, sedang berkembang di negeri itu. Pengacara Ziyaad
Mia meluncurkan 'Give 30' tahun lalu, memutuskan untuk mengalihkan uang kopi
harian, dia simpan selama bulan puasa untuk tujuan baik dan membujuk warga lain
untuk melakukan hal yang sama.
"Saya terkejut bahagia," kata Mia. Dia
berharap untuk memperluas kampanye - yang ditujukan untuk semua orang, tanpa
memandang agama - pada akhirnya, meskipun tidak tahun ini.
Berita Asli:
Ramadan food-bank campaign Give 30 expands across Canada
A Toronto fundraiser that encourages people to give to a food bank during Ramadan is spreading across the country.
Toronto lawyer Ziyaad Mia launchedGive 30
last year, deciding to divert daily coffee money he saved during the Muslim
holy month of fasting to a good cause and persuading others to do the same.
It struck a chord, culminating with nearly $40,000
going to Daily Bread Food Bank, the largest supplier of emergency food in the
GTA.
“I was happily shocked,” said Mia. He had hoped to
expand the campaign — which is intended for everyone, regardless of religion —
eventually, though not this year.
But offers of support poured in from cities across the
country, and this year’s Give 30 will see Calgary and likely other cities
participating.
“This thing now has a life of its own, and I’m not
going to be an obstacle to it,” said Mia. “I want to let this thing go where it
wants to go.”
Give 30 will run during Ramadan, from July 9 to Aug.
7, though donations can be made any time before Labour Day.
Ramadan is, in part, meant to remind people to be
thankful for food and to feel the pangs of going without, in order to foster
empathy and compassion, said Mia.
Just as his family donated to food banks during the
Christian holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, Mia thought Ramadan could
inspire people, regardless of their religion, to give to those in need, he
said.
That resonated with Michele Erskine, director of
marketing for CBS Outdoor Canada, which raised money for Give 30 last year in
its Toronto office. This year, it’s expanding the fundraising effort to
Calgary, with donations going to the Calgary food bank.
“I really liked how it’s associated with Ramadan but
open to all faiths,” said Erskine. “I thought that’s great, because ours, like
many Canadian workplaces, is a diverse environment.”
Islamic Relief Canada, an
international aid and development charity, is running a parallel campaign this
year, matching donations through Give 30 or the Daily Bread Food Bank
dollar-for-dollar.
People paid more than 1.1 million visits to food banks
in the GTA in 2012, according to a Daily Bread report.
Gail Nyberg, Daily Bread executive director, said the
food bank budgets money for the summer months, when donations tend to slow
down.
“Summer is a really busy time in terms of clients, but
a very slow time in terms of giving,” said Nyberg. “This is a time, during
Ramadan, when we can talk about the importance of giving. It reminds people
that there’s a need in July and August; it’s not just a winter thing.”
Sumber:
www.thestar.com
