As Food Banks Mississauga launches its annual Ramadan Give 30 fundraising campaign, officials with the charitable organization note that three in 10 visitors to food banks across the city are seeking halal options.

“With rising food costs stretching food bank visitors, we urgently need your support this Ramadan. Your donations provide healthy food and, critically, enable us to source more halal food as 31 per cent of all food bank visitors request halal options,” Food Banks Mississauga CEO Meghan Nicholls said in a news release this week marking the Feb. 17 start of Ramadan and the campaign.

Ramadan, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community, continues until March 19 in Canada.

“As you observe this holy month, please remember your Mississauga neighbours in need,” Nicholls added, noting too many people in the city “work multiple jobs but still struggle and skip meals so their children or elders can eat. Please donate this Ramadan to support the nearly 49,000 Mississauga residents who rely on us for food.”

Give 30 is a grassroots initiative founded in 2012 that encourages everyone, regardless of faith, to show empathy for those who face food insecurity and give in the spirit of Ramadan, food bank officials say.

Food Banks Mississauga, which as the largest such group in Mississauga oversees 60-plus agencies/food programs within its network, said it has forged relationships with new partners for this year’s Give 30 campaign.

Islamic Relief Canada, a charity founded in 2006, is sponsoring the campaign while Mississauga-based charitable group National Zakat Foundation is a monetary matching donor, FBM officials said.

In addition, Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish and Dr. Hamid Slimi, imam of the Sayeda Khadija Centre mosque in Mississauga, are providing leadership and support to the fundraising initiative, officials added.

The food bank network said a “30 Days of Giving: Ramadan Challenge” encourages Muslims in Mississauga to fundraise with their family or mosque or give their zakat (annual donation to charity) to provide “much-needed food to neighbours experiencing poverty.”

Parrish said Ramadan is an important time of year for thousands of people in Mississauga and “their acts of giving will have an immediate impact on families facing food insecurity, and on children who are going hungry every day.”

Slimi added “our religion teaches us that in Ramadan, we should strive to show the best of ourselves to our fellow human beings, and one of the best ways to do it is to feed the hungry.”

Tufail Hussain, CEO of Islamic Relief Canada, said that organization hears “directly from community members about the daily realities of food insecurity and the difficult choices families face.

“As these challenges grow here at home, here in Canada, Islamic Relief Canada is proud to work alongside Food Banks Mississauga through the Give 30 campaign to support our community, particularly during Ramadan — a time that reminds us of the importance of compassion and solidarity. Together, we are working to ensure all families facing hardship can access the food and dignity they deserve.”

Added Raheel Irfan, CEO of National Zakat Foundation: “Ramadan is a time of mercy and reminds us to care for the most vulnerable in our community.”

Food Banks Mississauga raised a record-setting $3.2 million during its recently completed 2025 Holiday Drive, the most money the community has ever contributed to a single campaign.

(Cover photo: Food Banks Mississauga)


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