Over the last eight years, The Halal Project has coordinated food distribution for thousands of the homeless in Los Angeles. Many of the volunteers are young Muslims, from local universities. The goal of the events is to give back to the community. No one inquires about the religious background of the homeless. “Every event, we do notice one brother or sister from the Muslim faith,” says Qureshi, the group’s founder. “In fact, the very first person in line at our first event happened to be Muslim and offered to give a prayer.”
Approximately 250 to 500 halal meals are prepared for each event. Halal butchers and grocery stores are plentiful in Southern California, and many, like Altayebat Market in Anaheim, donate food. “We had this one woman make teriyaki chicken for 350 people,” says Humayun Siddiqui, one of the board members of the Halal Project. “A librarian came once and just started handing out books. People loved it.”
Talking about this new era with Trump, Siddiqui says that he has seen much support from Angelenos in the recent months. “Yes [Trump’s policies] has negative implications, but I see it as a blessing… People have been more open. They will come up to us and ask us if there’s anything we need. I feel lucky to be here in California.”
