As we observe Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we remind ourselves of the significant contributions he made to peaceful resistance against racial injustice. His philosophy, words and actions continue to inspire civil rights movements today.
In his December 11, 1964, Nobel Peace Prize lecture, Dr. King pointed out the evils of racial injustice, war and poverty. In his address he said:
“This problem of poverty is not only seen in the class division between the highly developed industrial nations and the so-called underdeveloped nations; it is seen in the great economic gaps within the rich nations themselves.”
An estimated 1 in 8 Americans are food insecure, which is roughly 40 million people. That’s 3 million more people than the entire population of Canada who lack the financial resources to consistently have food. These are our neighbors, including more than 12 million children, who need our help today.
It is in the spirit of responding to evil with good that Baitulmaal is establishing a food pantry program in America to address the ongoing problem of food insecurity in our communities. Our pilot project is already underway in Chicago.
Our vision is to have food pantries in every major city by the end of 2020, but we can only do this with your generous support.
Allah (swt) says in the Quran:
“Those will be given their reward twice for what they patiently endured and they repel evil with good, and they spend from what We have provided them.” Quran 28:54
At Baitulmaal, we work tirelessly to follow this commandment of Allah (swt) to respond to evil with good. And as the evils of poverty continue to run rampant across the world, including right here in America, we must continue to strive harder with increasing generosity.
About Baitulmaal, Inc.
Baitulmaal is an international humanitarian aid organization that provides life-saving, life-sustaining and life-enriching aid to people in need around the world. With headquarters in Dallas, the charity has offices in Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit as well as international offices in Jordan, Kenya and Pakistan.
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