Islamic Food Bank of Toledo

Thank you to The University of Toledo for making us a part of the BIG Event for the fourth year! We love working with the more than 45 students to make our community brighter. Students packed over 450 Weekender Food Bags that are now on their way to students at risk of weekend hunger. Thank you to Medical Scribing Solutions for coordinating our site. The BIG Event is the University’s largest single-day, student-run service project. From food pantries to community gardens, 500 students dedicated their time to making a difference at more than 25 local sites. Learn more about our mission and work at islamicfoodbank.org #foodbank #foodsecurity #volunteering #communityimpact Ramy Sarsour

676 Weekender Food Bags are on their way to at-risk students and their families, thanks to the wonderful volunteers who showed up to help last weekend. Special shoutout to Ottawa Hills Local Schools students for lending their time to make a difference for area students in need. Volunteers also prepped, packed, and distributed 200 hot meals at our three neighborhood sites. Learn more about our mission and work at islamicfoodbank.org #foodbank #foodsecurity #volunteering #communityimpact Caitlin Shawaker Brandon Carter

Thank you to the Eidi Family and Eidi Properties for your generous support of the Islamic Food Bank. We appreciate your sharing our mission of empowering Muslims and the greater Toledo community to feed the hungry and spread peace.

We are pleased to share that as part of our annual Ramadan food distribution, more than 12,000 lbs. of food and 4,000 lbs. of fresh halal chicken were provided to Muslim and refugee families in need this year! This was truly a team effort - many thanks to all those who made it possible! Before Ramadan began, IFB leadership and staff worked diligently to source food items. Designated volunteers also reached out to every mosque in the area - all effort was made to ensure that all local Muslims had the opportunity to benefit from this program. 50+ volunteers built 200 Ramadan Food Packages. Each Package consisted of two boxes filled with culturally relevant grocery essentials to enable recipients to observe Ramadan alongside the rest of the community. The atmosphere at the packing event was joyful, and the work was done with love and intention. Then, 10 volunteers helped with distributions of the Ramadan Food Packages via curbside pickup to families across Northwest Ohio. This year, our Ramadan distribution also included 75 care packages for Muslim students at Bowling Green State University and The University of Toledo. Each care package included dates, halwa, peanut butter, and more. Thank you to our partners, Falcon Food Pantry and Rocket Fuel, for their assistance in distributing the care packages to Muslim students. May Allah SWT shower His blessings of love, peace, and mercy on all of our guests who received the Packages and also on our generous donors, volunteers, and partners who made this year's Ramadan distribution a success! To support our work: islamicfoodbank.org/donate. ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF NORTHWEST OHIO Islamic Center of Greater Toledo Masjid Saad Foundation Toledo Masjid Al-Islam TOLEDO MUSLIM COMMUNITY CENTER (TMCC) Falcon Food and Resource Community/Falcon Food Pantry - Bowling Green State University - BGSU The University of Toledo: Center for Advocacy and Student Experience #Ramadan2024 #Ramadan #foodbank #foodsecurity #volunteering #donate #communityimpact

We are excited to share an important update about our organization and the future of our mission to fight food insecurity in our region. The Islamic Food Bank has now transitioned into the Islamic Food Bank Foundation, a dedicated entity solely focused on addressing hunger and expanding our impact. To ensure strong leadership and strategic growth, a new Board of Directors has been established to oversee all aspects of the food bank, including operations, funding, and future expansion. We are also pleased to announce that Lauren Bacans-Grounds, our former Program Manager, has stepped into the role of Executive Director, bringing her passion and expertise to lead us into this next phase. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to Dr. Razi Rafeeq, who retired as the Executive Director at the end of 2024, for his leadership, vision, and dedication in helping build a strong foundation that has brought us to this pivotal moment. His tireless efforts have played a key role in shaping the organization's success and setting the stage for our continued growth. Read more in The Blade. M. Razi Rafeeq Lauren Bacans-Grounds, MPH

1,355 Weekender Food Bags are on their way to at-risk students and their families, thanks to the wonderful volunteers who showed up to help over the last month. We would like to thank Owens Corning, University of Toledo Jesup Scott Honors College, and students from St. John's Jesuit High School & Academy for lending their time to make a difference for area students in need. Volunteers also prepped, packed, and distributed 200 hot meals at our three neighborhood sites on each of the two weekends. Learn more about our mission and work at islamicfoodbank.org #foodbank #foodsecurity #volunteering #communityimpact

Last week, Owens Corning employees worked with Kids Around the World to pack 60,912 meal kits. Each kit contains lentils, rice, spices, and vitamins and is easy to make by just boiling water. The kits will be distributed in Weekender Food Bags and through IFB Pantries throughout the year. Thank you Owens Corning for your kind donation! Learn more about our mission and work at islamicfoodbank.org #foodbank #foodsecurity #volunteering #communityimpact #kidsaroundtheworld Lisa D. Anderson

600 Weekender Food Bags are on their way to at-risk students and their families, thanks to the wonderful volunteers who showed up to help last weekend. Special shoutout to Advocating Opportunity (AO), Jems2Jewels, and Toledo Islamic Academy for lending their time to make a difference for area students in need. Volunteers also prepped, packed, and distributed 200 hot meals at our three neighborhood sites. Learn more about our mission and work at islamicfoodbank.org #foodbank #foodsecurity #volunteering #communityimpact Rachel Gorman

On Monday, January 20, 100 volunteers honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by taking their day off and making it a day on. They packed over 1,600 Weekender Food Bags that are now on their way to at-risk students and their families. Thank you for your time and commitment to your community! Special thanks to: Owens Corning, SSOE Group, MacMillan, Sobanski & Todd, LLC, Mercy College of Ohio, Toledo Public Schools, and Exchange Club of Toledo. Learn more about our mission and work at islamicfoodbank.org #foodbank #foodsecurity #volunteering #communityimpact Ann Malak Lisa D. Anderson Gerald Cameron Dr. Romules Durant

432 Weekender Food Bags are on their way to at-risk students and their families, thanks to the wonderful volunteers who showed up to help last weekend. Special shoutout to the Toledo Lucas County Homelessness Board and Gamma Phi Delta Sorority, Inc for lending their time to make a difference for area students in need. Volunteers also packed 100 Food Bags for the Homeless as part of the 2025 Winter Point in Time (PIT) Count. Volunteers also prepped, packed, and distributed 200 hot meals at our three neighborhood sites. Learn more about our mission and work at islamicfoodbank.org #foodbank #foodsecurity #volunteering #communityimpact