Donations from 20 primarily Muslim organizations are funding 1,500 meals for Irving ISD, the Irving police department and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center this week.
Raed Omar Sbeit, CEO of the North Texas Leadership Development Academy, said another recent donation of face masks and meals from the Muslim community inspired him to give back to those working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic in Irving.
The meals are being distributed with the help of volunteers from the Islamic Center of Irving, the Muslim American Society of Dallas-Fort Worth and other organizations. The first 500 were distributed Tuesday to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center, with another 500 going to the Irving Police Department on Wednesday and 500 to Irving ISD on Friday.
In addition to the meals, Sbeit will host his organization’s annual Ramadan Outreach Civic Dinner online May 16. The iftar dinner and awards ceremony honoring local organizations has been held since 2007 at different Muslim centers, he said, but will be held virtually this year.
“We thought the good work should not stop,” Sbeit said of the dinner, which will be catered to people’s homes while they watch the ceremony via video. “It’s a time for us to come together now.”
It will honor the Irving Community Action Network, the Texas Muslim Women’s Foundation and Irving Cares with a $1,000 donation for each of them.
The organizations that contributed to the meals and dinner are American Muslims for Palestine Dallas, American Pakistani Public Affairs Committee, the Amoud Foundation, Baitulmaal, Helping Hand for Relief and Development, ICNA Relief, Islamic Center of Irving, Islamic Circle of North America Dallas, Islamic Relief USA, Life for Relief and Development Inc., MAS Dallas, Muslim American Society Public Affairs and Civic Engagement division, Muslim American Society Youth Give project, Pure Hands Yemen Relief, Sudanese American Association of North Texas, United Mission for Relief & Development, Valley Ranch Islamic Center and Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research.
