Comment

Comment by Liesbeth on March 18, 2010 at 6:02am

Within a few minutes i will go to the foodbank. I just heard that the unemployment rate in the Netherlands is still increasing. This as a result of the global financial crisis. Specially young man with few education are a funerable group. They also attend now our foodbank. I hope that we can help them.

Comment by Abdul Malik Mujahid on January 13, 2010 at 11:28am

How to Help Haiti Victims

Next 72 hours will be crucial to save lives in Haiti. Does your city has search and rescue dogs which they can send to Haiti. If yes, please approach both your city hall as well as the Haitian or US embassy with the offer.

here are some other ways you can help.
peace
Malik

Comment by Mahima Kalla on January 13, 2010 at 5:04am

Dear Mr. Malik,

Thanks very much for that info! Yes, I'll surely research more on those topics.

Wow, that's a massive amount of money. We also have another fund-raising plan in mind - called The 50 Cent Plan, wherein we will get people to register their support and contribute some 50 cents every week. So, if we have a 1000 people contribute 50 cents every week, we would end up with almost 2000 dollars a month. 50 cents is affordable for everyone I guess and if many such contributors come together, a large amount of funds can be collected for development programs in developing countries ( most of whom have very low currency rates - and thousand dollars converted would mean a lot).

We are in the planning stages right now. Hopefully, we will be able to do some tangible work.

Thanks very much again! Thats very valuable info!

Regards,
Mahima

Comment by Abdul Malik Mujahid on January 12, 2010 at 8:39am

Dear Mahima Kalla
This is a great project. In the US we call it "food rescue" program. Google it and you will find many ways of organizing it. It can really help. Just in New York and organization called "City Harvest" collect each year more than 23,000,000 pounds through this type of work.
Attracting volunteers will require a success story. So once you have done one drive, try to publicize the success story well.
peace
Malik

Comment by Mahima Kalla on January 12, 2010 at 6:11am

Hi everyone, I attended the PWR 2009 in Melbourne. I am an Environmental Engineering student of Monash Uni in Melbourne.

I work with an organisation called Roots and Shoots. We are trying to set up a Chapter of this organisation at my uni. One of the projects that we have in mind is called Second Bite.

In this, we plan to get in touch with hotels, restaurants and grocery stores etc, to collect the food that is thrown away and provide them to poor people who suffer from hunger every day.

The program is at its very initial stages at the moment. We are still trying to figure out how the end product would be like. I have also been trying to develop a partnership with an organisation called Foodbank, Australia. This is an established organisation that has been working in this sphere for quite some time now.

I would like to know if any people from Melbourne, including university students would be willing to join in and lend support for this cause. It personally pains me to see food being wasted, especially when you know there are people your age who go to sleep with an empty stomach.

Anyone interested please contact me! And if you are not from Melbourne, I would still love to know your opinions!

Comment by Abdul Malik Mujahid on December 2, 2009 at 2:20pm

Thanks Liesbeth and Razia Food banking is emerging as a major initiative of the civil society in the World. Improved public policy is crucial and faith communities need to allocate enough resources to improve that. However, we simply cannot wait for the public policy to improve. Food banking is a proven model of success. They have started one right here in Melbourne. I hope their leadership will come and share their experiences with the Parliament.

Comment by Liesbeth on December 2, 2009 at 5:31am

Also in Holland we have the problem of wasting food. We produce, don't sell enough in the supermarkets and throw it away. Some years ago their was a new iniative; it is called a 'foodbank". This group of people, also some pastors, collect products of supermarkets which are thrown away. Also gifts of particuliers are collected. Every thursday a lot of volunteers in the country distribute all the collected goods into pakkages and bring them to distributionpoints. Another group of volunteers met the people and especially also childern who do not have enough to eat and invite to come to the distributionpoints. Every thursdayafternoon in my neaborhood I help to give the pakkages to the people who need it. So, Razia, there are concrete plans and actions in our modern world. If you like to know more you can ask me.

Comment by Razia H. Ahmed on December 1, 2009 at 3:14pm

i am anxious to know if there is a concrete plan of action, beyond building websites and webgroups.