Charity Begins at Home
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Monday, May 18, 2015
ICNA’S Women’s Essentials National Campaign Collects Personal Hygiene Products for Homeless Women Through May
Feminine products such as sanitary napkins and tampons can be difficult for homeless women to obtain and are not typical items donated to food pantries and shelter homes. For a poor or homeless woman these items can make a world of difference in preserving their dignity and respect.
Join ICNA Relief USA and collect personal hygiene products for women in need during the month of May (5/1 - 5/31). (NEW PACKAGED ONLY). Items requested can be shipped/dropped off to the locations mentioned below. Monetary donations for the cause are also being accepted online at http://bit.ly/1GwBTjO. Your donations will be distributed to PADS in Glen Ellyn and to the Red Cross Women’s Wellness Week , that runs from , May 11th to May 15th 2015.
Items Requested:
* Deodorant and Body Sprays
* Sanitary Pads and Tampons
* Feminine Wash
* Shampoo and Conditioner
* Lotion and Moisturizers
* Undergarments
* Nail Clippers and Emory Boards
* Combs and Brushes
* Tooth Brushes and Toothpaste
* Mouth Wash (non-alcohol)
DROP OFF LOCATIONS:
ICNA Relief Midwest Office
1701 Bloomingdale Road
Glendale Heights, IL
844-414-4862
Open; M-Thurs
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
ICNA Relief Thrift Store
17 w 731 Roosevelt Rd. Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181
Phone: 1-866-497-9037
Open: M - Thurs
Timings: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
ICNA Dawah Center Food Pantry
6224 N.California Ave. Chicago, IL
Call Sr Ahlam
773-739-3224
Open Daily 12:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m.
Mosques:
Muslim Society Inc.( MSI), 1785 Bloomingdale Rd, Glendale Heights, IL 60139
Islamic Center of Wheaton ( ICW), 900 E Geneva Rd, Wheaton, IL 60187
Islamic Center of Naperville (ICN), 2844 W Ogden Ave, Naperville, IL 60540
Islamic Community Center of DesPlaines ( ICCD), 480 Potter Rd, Des Plaines, IL 60016
Latino Muslims of Chicago, www.latinomuslimsofchicago.com
Monday, May 11, 2015
Now Donate to ICNA Relief USA via Amazon.com, Too. Our Impact Speaks Volumes
2. Select ICNA Relief USA for your support.
3. Shop within the Smile.Amazon site.
4. For every eligible purchase you make, listen for the Ch-ching! Amazon will donate 0.5% of the item's price us.
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Partners in Good Works Honored at ICNA Relief Annual Banquet- Strengthening the Community, Together
1. Muslim Community Center (MCC), Chicago, and Muslim Education Center (MEC), Morton Grove, for their monthly commitment to donating food over $3000 monthly, through Project Rizq, to ICNA’s food pantries, and for their financial support of ICNA Relief Chicago’s Muslim Family Services.
2. Islamic Center Of Naperville (ICN), Naperville, and Muslim Society Inc ( MSI), Glendale Heights, were awarded for their extensive collaboration, especially with Muslim Family Services and Transitional Housing.
3. Islamic Center of Wheaton (ICW) was recognized for collaborating on projects such as the Back2School campaign,Toy Drive and Meat drive, and for signing up to work shoulder-to-shoulder with ICNA Relief’s Refugee Empowerment Initiative and Transitional Housing Initiative.
4. Universal School, Bridgeview, Islamic Community Center of Des Plaines ( ICCD), Des Plaines, and Masjid Al-Huda, Schaumburg, were all recognized for strengthening the ICNA Relief Food Drive.
5. Islamic Foundation School was awarded for its donation of $4000 towards ICNA Relief Chicago’s food pantries, in addition to its contributions of hygiene kits and toys.
6. Masjid Al Farooq was recognized for providing space to distribute backpacks, meat, toys and more.
7. Br. Mohammed Misbahuddin played a leading role in establishing all ICNA Relief Chicago’s projects and services and especially the Transitional housing project and was the single individual to have received an award.
ICNA Relief Banquet Inspires Audiences to Create a Better Tomorrow for Neighbors
April 1, 2015 - We get so used to our life that we forget the underserved. When we consider giving charity, the devil scares us with the thought of having less for ourselves. But our faith teaches us that we need to be the first to attend to the needs of the vulnerable, said keynote speaker, Mufti Kamani, at ICNA Relief Chicago’s Annual Banquet on April 19, 2015, inspiring the 500 plus strong audience to give locally. The dua (supplications) of the person in need are always accepted, said keynote speaker, Mufti Kamani, at ICNA Relief Chicago’s Annual Banquet, inspiring the 500 plus strong audience to give locally.
Sheikh Ibrahim Dardasawi, the official imam at Islamic Center of Wheaton (ICW), inaugurated the evening with a beautiful recitation from the Holy Quran. The fundraiser also featured stand-up comedian and speaker, Azhar Usman. “This is an organization that is there for our sisters who are victims of abuse. Be the community that recognizes its dirty secrets,” said Azhar Usman in opening remarks, urging guests to acknowledge and address violence and abuse of women in the community. Ms. Ahlam Mahmood, Outreach Coordinator, Dr. Mohammad Hassan, Director Outreach & Resource Development, USA, and Dr. Saima Azfar, Director, Midwest and Chicago, were the other speakers and represented ICNA Relief.
The most touching moment of the evening was when Dr. Azfar narrated meeting a family that was so poor they hadn't eaten in three days. “All they had at home was onions. And this is right here in Chicago,” said Dr. Azfar. Each speaker elicited enthusiasm and applause, and audience members loosened purse strings, committing to serving the community. “Many of the cases we see, seem like the plot of a tragic novel or movie, but if only they were. There is a saying, to always be kind because we have no idea what the other person is going through and when you work with ICNA Relief Chicago and its Muslim Family Services, you realize just how true that is,” said Dr. Azfar.
ICNA Relief Chicago Transitional Housing Initiative Adds New Unit in the Suburbs
Where other charities' work often ends, ICNA Relief Chicago's work starts. “We not only cut a check for the needy, but help them get back on their feet as individuals and families,” says Sister Atya Kazmi, Coordinator, Muslim Family Services, providing a brief overview of ICNA Relief Chicago’s ‘Whole-Individual’, holistic approach to well-being. “We offer counseling, driving lessons and legal assistance, help find accommodation, procure cars and even provide job skills training. The intention is to help our clients move out of poverty and find overall emotional health and stability.”
For our transitional housing program, we are approached most by women and children who are homeless. What is the cost, per month, of helping a family get back on their feet? Approximately $3000 including rent, utilities, grocery bills, case management. Would you like a share in the blessings by supporting them?
Donate to http://icnarelief.org and choose Transitional Housing.
Baltimore: Reflections from the Field #spreadlove #Baltimore #BaltimoreRiot
By Malika MacDonald, Director, ICNA Relief Women's Shelter Initiative
My faith called on me to respond. Compelled to travel to Baltimore, MD, to see how ICNA Relief USA could assist, I found a city under siege although very different from what was being portrayed by news outlets.
In downtown Baltimore, I witnessed the eerie abandonment of a city. Blocks of businesses were closed but, oddly, there were no vandals on the street. I stumbled upon what looked like an army base in the middle of the city, only to discover it was City Hall Plaza. The National Guard was there, in full combat fatigues, gripping their assault rifles, perched upon tanks. Yes, tanks invaded the streets of Baltimore, USA.
A Sea of Police
A Sea of Police
I looked upon on a sea of police in riot gear and a convoy of military vehicles, I wondered what they were preparing for? Feeling threatened, my heart began racing, my natural defenses on alert, not knowing what I’d encounter.
I, a white Muslim woman arrived at West North Ave., Ground Zero in Baltimore, and strangely did not find looters and rioters. Instead, I saw a resilient community attempting to survive. As I walked the neighborhood near the CVS that had been burned during the uprisings, I saw devastation that existed long before the murder of Freddie Gray.
Rows upon rows of boarded up buildings that absentee landlords had abandoned years ago. I saw children with nowhere to play except the city block. Their community centers had closed, some even before these kids were born. I observed red, black and blue colors united, so called “gangs” of youth, sitting on stoops of boarded up buildings. These young people that the media described as “thugs” were united to keep the peace within their community.
I saw churches unloading truckloads of food to feed the community, and met with organizers from Ferguson who discussed lessons of a shared struggle. I was greeted with smiles as I walked past residents who were continuing with life as usual. For many in this community, the events leading up to the murder of Freddie Gray were nothing new. It is a reality they live with on a day-to-day basis in this section of Baltimore that’s plagued by some of the worst poverty in the country.
Boots on the Ground
When I reached Masjid ul-Saffat, an Islamic Center established in 1971 and home to the Muslim Social Service Agency (MSSA), I saw they already had boots on the ground. There was a nursing home and two senior centers in the vicinity that they were serving. ICNA Relief USA teamed up with MSSA to serve those hardest hit by the recent uprisings - senior citizens. Many residents used wheelchairs or walkers, and now had no access to basic necessities. ICNA Relief USA and MSSA brought short term relief by providing basic food staples and personal hygiene products.
Masjid ul-Saffat was one of numerous indigenous Muslim Islamic Centers and organizations to take a leading role in their community, but lacked the resources to bring about greater systemic change. The Muslim response in Baltimore has been extraordinary but the need will remain for some time. ICNA Relief USA has committed to supporting these organizations by soliciting resources, providing trainings and consultation for long term development projects needed to improve the Baltimore community. Our ICNA-MAS Convention that is to be held in Baltimore from May 23-25, 2015 will be host a Town Hall discussion examining the root causes that led up to the Baltimore riots.
Caption for photo: Sr. Malika MacDonald (above), Director, ICNA Relief Women's Shelter Initiative, joined the 300 Men March, a community activist group against gun violence, in Park Heights, to call for the fair treatment of all people. - April 28, 2015.
Please Donate to Help Our Efforts. Everyone Pitching in Even a Little Adds Up! http://icnarelief.org/Donation
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