Halifax Community Fridge: 'In our town, nobody has to go to sleep hungry' say Halifax mosque team shortlisted for top award

The Halifax Community Fridge team, based at Central Jamia Masjid Madni on Gibbet Street, have been chosen as a finalist for the prestigious The Beacon Mosque Awards.

They are shortlisted in the ‘Most Innovative Service’ category for their incredible work providing food and much more for those in need 365 days a year since August 2020.

The team said: “We’ve literally fed our town through Covid-19, the cost-of-living crisis and beyond.

"Everything that we do is undertaken by our team of volunteers, and all our work is free to access.

"But we do so much more than provide food and drink. We’ve prevented over half a million kilos of C02 emissions from entering the atmosphere by working with all the local supermarkets in our town.

"All the towns’ supermarkets, supply is with their surplus food, and we provide it those in need.

"On average up-to 90 families, benefit from our fridge on a daily basis.

"Every Thursday, our Jilani Kitchen serves hot meals to anyone who wants cooked food. We’ve been doing this now for over two years.

"Our pet food bank supports owners and pets in need and is open all week. We’re the only pet food bank in our town.”

The team also carries out monthly street cleans and every Ramadan, distributes packed Iftaar meals to needy families struggling to break their fast.

"We’ve also distributed over £30,000 in local Zakah to local refugee families struggling here in Calderdale.,” said the team.

"We’ve helped single mothers, refugees, broken families and those who were previously in debt.

"Hundreds of women have benefited from our anonymous Package for Sandy campaign, which provides free sanitary products to local women. The project aims to stop period poverty in our locality, and is easily accessible to anyone in our town.

"We’ve given out hundreds of coats in our annual Winter Coat Campaign, helping to keep our townspeople warm during the winter months. I

"Our Communi-Tea Cuppas project, which runs every weekend, gives people a safe place to come and enjoy a cup of Yorkshire tea and some good company. It’s helping build links with our wider community and has been an excellent resource in our mental health outreach work.

"We also support any Muslim woman who has escaped domestic violence, providing them with anonymous, ongoing support and the essentials while they are in the depths of trauma.

"We are more than just a fridge, we have brought the whole community together, and the whole town supports the work of the Halifax Community Fridge.”

What the team started in Halifax is now spreading across the country, with the volunteers supporting 20 other mosques to set up their own community fridges.

"In our town, nobody has to go sleep hungry,” said the team.

To vote, visit the Beacon Mosque Awards website at https://beaconmosque.com/most-innovative-service-2024-2/

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