Like a well-oiled machine, the assembly line in the Baitul Ata Mosque filled dozens of plastic bags with items ranging from toothbrushes and dental floss to snacks, hand sanitizer and mittens.
On Sunday morning, about two dozen members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Lehigh Valley chapter gathered at its mosque in Salisbury Township to pack essential supply kits and then distribute them directly to individuals experiencing homelessness in Allentown.
Noor Chaudhry and other members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Lehigh Valley chapter gather to pack essential supply kits for individuals experiencing homelessness Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at Baitul Ata Mosque in Salisbury Township. The effort is part of the community’s ongoing commitment to its guiding principle, “Love for All, Hatred for None,” which includes regular blood drives, food drives and programs to feed the hungry throughout the year. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Lehigh Valley chapter gather to pack essential supply kits for individuals experiencing homelessness Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at Baitul Ata Mosque in Salisbury Township. The effort is part of the community’s ongoing commitment to its guiding principle, “Love for All, Hatred for None,” which includes regular blood drives, food drives and programs to feed the hungry throughout the year. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Lehigh Valley chapter gather to pack essential supply kits for individuals experiencing homelessness Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at Baitul Ata Mosque in Salisbury Township. The effort is part of the community’s ongoing commitment to its guiding principle, “Love for All, Hatred for None,” which includes regular blood drives, food drives and programs to feed the hungry throughout the year. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Lehigh Valley chapter gather to pack essential supply kits for individuals experiencing homelessness Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at Baitul Ata Mosque in Salisbury Township. The effort is part of the community’s ongoing commitment to its guiding principle, “Love for All, Hatred for None,” which includes regular blood drives, food drives and programs to feed the hungry throughout the year. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Mehreen Chaudhry, Ahmad Chaudhry, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Lehigh Valley chapter, and other chapter members pack essential supply kits for individuals experiencing homelessness Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at Baitul Ata Mosque in Salisbury Township. The effort is part of the community’s ongoing commitment to its guiding principle, “Love for All, Hatred for None,” which includes regular blood drives, food drives and programs to feed the hungry throughout the year. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Raheela Chaudhry and other members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Lehigh Valley chapter gather to pack essential supply kits for individuals experiencing homelessness Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at Baitul Ata Mosque in Salisbury Township. The effort is part of the community’s ongoing commitment to its guiding principle, “Love for All, Hatred for None,” which includes regular blood drives, food drives and programs to feed the hungry throughout the year. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Around 120 essential supply kits containing water, hand warmers, a comb, gloves and other items are boxed and ready to be delivered Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at Baitul Ata Mosque in Salisbury Township. Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Lehigh Valley chapter will distribute the kits directly to individuals experiencing homelessness. The effort is part of the community’s ongoing commitment to its guiding principle, “Love for All, Hatred for None,” which includes regular blood drives, food drives and programs to feed the hungry throughout the year. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Ahmad Chaudhry, president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Lehigh Valley chapter, and other chapter members pack essential supply kits for individuals experiencing homelessness Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at Baitul Ata Mosque in Salisbury Township. The effort is part of the community’s ongoing commitment to its guiding principle, “Love for All, Hatred for None,” which includes regular blood drives, food drives and programs to feed the hungry throughout the year. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Ayala Moti and other members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Lehigh Valley chapter gather to pack essential supply kits for individuals experiencing homelessness Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at Baitul Ata Mosque in Salisbury Township. The effort is part of the community’s ongoing commitment to its guiding principle, “Love for All, Hatred for None,” which includes regular blood drives, food drives and programs to feed the hungry throughout the year. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Lehigh Valley chapter gather to pack essential supply kits for individuals experiencing homelessness Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at Baitul Ata Mosque in Salisbury Township. The effort is part of the community’s ongoing commitment to its guiding principle, “Love for All, Hatred for None,” which includes regular blood drives, food drives and programs to feed the hungry throughout the year. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
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Noor Chaudhry and other members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s Lehigh Valley chapter gather to pack essential supply kits for individuals experiencing homelessness Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, at Baitul Ata Mosque in Salisbury Township. The effort is part of the community’s ongoing commitment to its guiding principle, “Love for All, Hatred for None,” which includes regular blood drives, food drives and programs to feed the hungry throughout the year. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
“How many so far?” asked Farid Ahmad, the community’s general secretary, to a boy putting a completed bag into a box.
“A lot!” he replied.
Ahmad said the goal was to put together 100 bags to be distributed later that morning downtown in conjunction with Life Church Allentown. The group, which consisted of community members of all ages, was approaching 200 bags when the donated supplies started to run low.
As a postal carrier, Ahmad says he has a pretty good understanding of what supplies are needed, though he couldn’t imagine living outside during the winter. That’s why gloves, hand warmers, lip balm and fingernail clippers are part of the package.
“I stay outside almost 12 hours every day in cold weather,” Ahmad said. “I know what type of stuff I need at that time of the day, and I realize the homeless are out there for 24.”
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community does this drive twice a year to address the needs of the local homeless population, which continues to grow. The community itself is a 137-year-old international movement that preaches against violent interpretations of Islamic teachings. The group believes its founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was a messiah sent by God to end religious wars and bloodshed.
The community’s ongoing commitment to its guiding principle, “Love for All, Hatred for None,” includes regular blood drives, food drives and programs to feed the hungry throughout the year.
“We want to help our community,” explained chapter President Ahmad Chaudhry. “A lot of times we can go and donate money to people abroad or to other parts of the country. But when you have this problem right here in the Lehigh Valley, this was something we felt we could very directly make a positive impact on.”
Last year, multiple homeless camps were cleared out in Allentown and Bethlehem after a combination of requests from property owners and public safety officials. In Allentown, an encampment along Jordan Creek was removed in late September despite protests from homeless advocates.
“We’ve been to the encampments and seen firsthand the situation that they’re in,” Chaudhry said, “and we wanted to do something about that. That’s what led us to doing this on a semiannual basis.
“It’s part of our faith. We’re a mosque and every house of worship should provide for the community and the less fortunate all around us. So it’s a very strong part of our faith, charity is part of our faith,” Chaudhry said.
Morning Call reporter Evan Jones can be reached at ejones@mcall.com.