“I volunteer with the Halal Food Bank – Melbourne for several reasons. The first and foremost is the amazing dedication and hard work by the organisers of this initiative. Seeing the humility, devotion and effort that is put in month after month is truly inspiring. The precision and care that is taken when organising this food drive is incredible and it is a driving force in my wanting to come back every month. Furthermore, the selflessness involved in this service is rather humbling. Witnessing the coming together of such a diverse group of people on a monthly basis with the sole intention of serving others is both uplifting and refreshing. Secondly, the care taken to ensure that the organisations we supply are responsible and equitable, ensures me that this initiative is making a conscientious effort to contribute in the best way possible. Finally, I truly believe that one must consistently dedicate time and effort toward the service of others, as it is a core principal of mental and spiritual wellbeing. Thus, to me, volunteering at the Halal Food Bank on a monthly basis is an opportunity to increase my gratitude and awareness of the plight of others.”

“Since the Halal Food Bank – Melbourne was introduced to the IMCV (Indonesian Muslim Community of Victoria, Australia) in Westall Mosque more than a year ago, alhamdulillah the response has been very strong. Our food donation box is always filling up quickly. Food is an immense aspect of our culture, and the thought of some people around us struggling to get enough to eat gives us grief. Especially when they are our brothers and sisters in Islam who find it difficult to get halal food in their very limited resources. We are grateful to be given these opportunities to be able to regularly assist others in need. We also feel humbled to be able to share our rizq with the wider community around us. Thank you to Halal Food Bank for helping us to help others.”

“Volunteering with the Halal Food Bank – Melbourne has been a humbling and inspiring experience, alhamdullillah. I am grateful that Allah SWT has blessed my family with an opportunity to be part of an organisation which provides such a worthy and vital service. Alhamdullillah, due to our involvement, we have gained many personal rewards. As a mother of 2 young children, I felt it was crucial to educate them in the importance and blessings of sadaqah and charity as well as having a general community and social awareness, and alhamdullillah the team at HFB were very supportive of this. Due to the time spent volunteering at HFB-Mel, my daughter has learnt that, whilst for Muslims it is essential to generously give our wealth in charity, it is just as important to regularly give, by way of generosity of spirit. She has learnt that examples of this can be volunteering your time to those less fortunate or sick, being kind to others, or with something as simple as a smile. Our experience at HFB-Mel has also provided me with a great platform to present and reinforce two core islamic principles to my children: 1. Being humble and grateful to Allah SWT for the mercies He bestows upon us (such as rizq and good health). 2. We should constantly be purifying our intentions as a constant reminder to strive to please Allah SWT alone as reward and blessings come only from Him. InshaAllah she will learn these lessons by witnessing the examples of the inspiring team/volunteers at HFB-Mel. I thank Allah SWT that my daughter has role models who are smart, dedicated, passionate and sincere, alhamdullillah. May Allah SWT continously bless, protect and reward all those involved with the Halal Food Bank. Ameen.”