South Brunswick Muslim Student Association Serves Xmas Eve Dinner

TRENTON, NJ — On Tuesday, Christmas Eve, members of the South Brunswick Muslim Student Association and The Muslim Center of Greater Princeton volunteered at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen.

For the past ten years, the two local Muslim groups have done similar types of volunteering around the holidays. For example, in the past the local South Brunswick teens packaged around 400 meals for families in the Trenton area. This year, the group of about 50 showed up to volunteer at 10 a.m. Tuesday, and they finished serving lunch at around 1 p.m.

“Volunteering to me has become so much more than just a school requirement," said Zoya Khurram, a junior at South Brunswick High School and a member of the South Brunswick Muslim Student Association. (She was referring to the fact that students need to have a certain number of volunteer hours to be admitted into the National Honor Society.) "It has helped me become more connected in a community, and view the impact a bunch of individuals can make."

Tasks included serving 400 trays of food to the hungry, assembling toothbrushes and toothpaste in packages and creating packages with feminine hygiene products.

“Volunteering for me is a way to help impact others lives for the better. It allows me to take into account the things I should be thankful for, like food, because some families have a harder time getting it," said Abdallah Ahson, also a junior at South Brunswick High, and the vice president of the South Brunswick Muslim Student Association.

“Feeding those in need is an act of compassion central to the legacy of Jesus Christ, the Son of Mary, both of whom are loved and revered by Muslims around the world,” said Imam Adeyinka Mendes, the religious leader at the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton.

This article was written and submitted by Amal Ali, a student at South Brunswick High School.