DEARBORN – The Ramadan spirit was in full swing Saturday, June
18, at the Hanini Outreach Center’s annual food drive, where more than $35,000
was raised and a total of 500,000 pounds of food collected to feed needy
families, seniors, veterans and refugees in Wayne County.

Each year the Hanini Outreach Center sponsors a food drive
during Ramadan to provide non-perishable foods, meats and dairy products to
needy families in Dearborn, Detroit, Hamtramck and Coldwater.

More than 150 volunteers congregated at the center’s Maple
Street location to package the food, organize them into boxes and deliver packages
to families in the area. The Amity Foundation helped with the distribution of
the food packages.

Food drive participants ranged in age from elementary school
children to the elderly.

“One hundred percent of the proceeds raised this year was
spent on food packages that we distributed to nearly 300 needy families,” said
Naiel Salameh, president of the Hanini Outreach Center. “Not many non-profits
are able to demonstrate dollar for dollar outputs.”

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of Michigan (ADC-MI)
Director Fatina Abdrabboh participated in this year’s food drive. She brought
along her husband and children to help serve the needy as well.

“Look around at who is here today,” Abdrabboh said. “There are
people from all backgrounds and age groups working together. I can’t think of anything
more inspiring and encouraging.”

As truckloads full of food were packed onto
refrigerated cargo vans, volunteers gathered for a moment of reflection for the
needy all over the world.

Mohammad Khalil, executive board member of the Center, reflected
on the strives the organization has made over the years.

“It’s a privilege to donate every year to the needy right here
in Dearborn,” Khalil said. “Despite our accomplishments, we are far short of
feeding the needy in our community. We started with only 11 boxes just a few
years ago, to nearly 300 this year. I’d like to personally thank our community
volunteers.”

Sammy Salem, vice president of the organization, noted that it’s
remarkable that dozens of community members turned out to participate in the
food drive on a hot summer day, while they were observing fast.

“Despite the intense heat and our fasting, it
is our honor to bring our children here today to watch and help us package
these boxes of feed for the needy and hungry,” Salem said.

Local grocery stores, including Greenland and Al Sayed Meats,
also donated items for the food drive.

While a large number of charitable community efforts focus on
donating resources to the Middle East, the Hanini Cultural Center noted that
residents in the local metro Detroit area shouldn’t be overlooked.

Recent figures by the Department of Health and Human Services
suggested that approximately 10 percent of elderly people live below the
poverty line, with most facing hunger or the threat of hunger. This number is
projected to climb even further as the Baby Boom generation gets older.

The Hanini Cultural Center, founded in 1974 by residents from
the town of Beit Hanina in Jerusalem, was initially created to provide a social
space for residents of Beit Hanina. It has since developed into a thriving
nonprofit focused on poverty relief, educational resources and financial
assistance to families in order to combat poverty.