Call for lunch boxes so Muslims can still have a hot meal during the holy month of fasting
REFUGEE centre Oasis is asking people to donate reusable food boxes with lids to help serve Muslim asylum seekers during Ramadan.
The charity, in Splott Road, regularly serves lunch to asylum seekers and refugees but during the month of Ramadan, Muslims cannot eat or drink during the day.
The food boxes would allow volunteers to prepare food for the refugees to eat at home after dark.
“For a lot of asylum seekers and refugees, our hot meal of the day is the only hot meal that they have,” said Norman Gettings, communications and outreach lead at the charity, which can no longer afford to buy food containers.
“So we are putting out a call for food containers, lunchboxes, so that we can continue to provide the meals for our clients, as we have done in the past.”
“Ramadan is a huge period for our Muslim clients,” said Mr Gettings.
Ramadan, which starts on Monday morning, is Islam’s holiest month and involves fasting from sunrise to sunset. Muslims don’t eat or drink anything, even water, after a simple pre-dawn meal called Suhoor and before breaking the fast with an evening meal called Iftar.
Iftar is served alongside the evening prayer, Maghrib, and is a spiritually important communal meal. Every culture has its own traditions and food associated with it, according to the charity Islamic Relief.
Oasis’ staff and volunteer-led kitchen aim to use culturally appropriate ingredients for the people they serve, said Mr Gettings.
Oasis have seen demand for iftar meals increase over time. A lot of their clients are Muslims from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. In total, in 2023, Oasis served 39,873 meals.
“We have always provided food during Ramadan for clients who are observing,” said Mr Gettings.
Asylum seekers and refugees who collect Iftar meals will be able to use the other support services at Oasis, such as English language classes.
- You can take your donations of food containers at 69b Splott Road, Cardiff, CF24 2BW.
