Edmonton Pakistani community steps up to provide meals to N.W.T. wildfire evacuees | CBC News

When Nazim Awan and Cynthia Mufandaedza first arrived in Edmonton earlier this month as wildfire evacuees from Yellowknife, they both noticed the same thing. 

Evacuee families had been randomly placed at hotels across the city, and had difficulty accessing food resources which were generally centred around downtown Edmonton.

Awan — a member of Yellowknife’s Islamic community — also noticed a critical need for meals that were halal and vegetarian.

“Some folks had reached out to me, telling me they had not had a substantial meal in almost 24 hours,” Awan said. “I knew we needed help from our community.”

Awan reached out to contacts he had in the Edmonton Pakistani community, some of whom he’s known for almost 20 years. In a short period of time, Mufandaedza and Awan were astonished at the amount of support that came from local and national organizations. 

A wave of support from the Let’s Help Society of Alberta, along with various Islamic groups and local restaurants, led to 300 meals being provided daily for evacuees.

And this week, the Let’s Help Society of Alberta learned it had been approved for a donation of $35,000 from United Way NWT.

“We’re going to try and increase it from here,” said Mubeen Ahmed, the general secretary of the Let’s Help Society of Alberta. “Today is 200, 300 plates. We would like to bring that to 800.”

Initially, 200 meals were provided and distributed on Aug. 23, before Islamic Relief Canada and other Islamic organizations contributed an extra 100 meals. 

With 300 meals at the ready daily, many people have volunteered to deliver meals to hotels around the city. 

Mufandaedza and her husband Randy aren’t new to deliveries, as the pair run Best Movers, among other businesses in Yellowknife. But the challenge of delivering meals to people spread across Edmonton surprised even them. Mufandaedza told CBC News that on the first night they spent almost six hours delivering 100 plates with other volunteers. 

Evacuees are served a variety of food options, ranging from traditional Pakistani cuisine to fast food. The volunteers serve any evacuees regardless of religious affiliation. According to Awan, the reception has been overwhelmingly positive. 

“There’s too many smiles to account for,” he said. 

Awan and Mufandaedza encourage anyone interested in volunteering to contact the Let’s Help Society of Alberta.