ATLANTA: Food-delivery company DoorDash is partnering with a major US Muslim charity to deliver food packages to those in need nationwide.
The Chicago-based Zakat Foundation of America has forged the partnership with DoorDash during Ramadan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset.
The “Feel the Hunger to Do Good” campaign is using the spirit of the holy month, when fasting Muslims are urged to care for and support those who are less fortunate.
The partnership is the first of its kind between a major US corporation and a Muslim humanitarian organization dedicated to helping America’s poor and hungry.
“The COVID-19 pandemic showed the urgent need to feed the poor,” Khalil Demir, the foundation’s executive director, told Arab News.
“We commend DoorDash for implementing its social corporate responsibility to help the poor, and urge other companies to do the same,” he added.
“We feel we’re the best partner to help them do just that, because it’s already our mission to feed poor people across this country.”
Demir said his organization has the logistics and trained staff to alleviate human suffering resulting from shortages of food or inability to obtain it.
He added that the foundation distributed food in the city of Minneapolis in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd last year.
DoorDash is providing funds for the Ramadan meals from its “halal collection,” where it deducts $1 from each order that goes toward feeding the poor through the Zakat Foundation of America.
“The ability to break the fast each day of the month at sunset is critical to the holy month,” said Nadia Ismail, an executive at DoorDash.
“To support the community during their month of fast, DoorDash is honored to be highlighting local, halal-certified merchants and donating $1 per order from those merchants to the Zakat Foundation of America to help combat food insecurity.”
The foundation is pledging an extra meal for every photo posted to social media with the tags @ZakatUS and @DoorDash.
Amna Mirza, chief marketing officer at the foundation, told Arab News: “Food insecurity exists everywhere. This pandemic has shown us that our neighbors are hungry, some waiting for 10 hours in food lines. Recognizing this, DoorDash is helping power meals during this critical time.”
Mirza described the company’s decision to partner with the foundation as “brave” and a contribution to “breaking down barriers.”
Established more than 20 years ago, the foundation saw its efforts and reach increase last year during the pandemic. It said it fed around 2.28 million people in the US in 2020.
