Ramadan Baskets

This project has had a great impact on the greater Washington, DC area community because volunteers feel directly involved with reaching out and helping those in need. Begining in 2002, the project first met the needs of battered women in a shelter called The Arlington Community Temporary Shelter, or TACTS. To date, the project has expanded to three other shelters in the area: Fairfax County Women's Shelter, TACTS and the Bethany House of Northern Virginia. Last year about four dozen individual's needs were detailed on a list. This year's project will expand to help out almost 80 individuals and another shelter: Loudon County Abused Women's Shelter, or LAWS. Local MWC volunteers donated and bought the supplies that were needed for each family in need. Youth and adult volunteers were involved in wrapping about 30 baskets last year.

This month is also a launching pad for future projects that we hope to endeavor. Other community outreach programs during the month of Ramadan will include:

1. Involving youth with collecting, creating and distributing gift baskets to youth at INOVA Fairfax hospital in Virginia.
2. Suggesting moderate books on classical Islam to regional libraries.
3. Initiating a pilot project to adopt needy families in the month of Ramadan by donating needed items for a need based list created by a Ramadan committee.

MWC is a platform that allows the community to come together in the true spirit of giving and caring for those in need. You - the members of the Greater Washington DC Area - are its resource. Please visit the Greater Washington DC Area Chapter for more information!! 

Toy Donation Drive

The MWC of New Jersey organizes an annual toy drive for the less fortunate children in our community. In December 2003, used bikes and toys were distributed in the low-income housing area in New Brunswick. The program was a huge success. We plan to hold another drive on December 4th, 2004. Please contact the New Jersey Chapter if you wish to help.

In December 2003, MWC's chapter in the greater Washington, DC are was invited to take a tour of the children's section in INOVA Fairfax Hospital for Children in Virginia. To make a difference in the lives of the young patients, we donated educational toys to the ChildLife program. Future events include donating books for young adults and gift baskets for teenagers.  

Serving Up Something Good

Six percent of Americans are now unemployed, and approximately 500,000 people are found in homeless shelters every night. Countless others are forced to walk the streets at dark. These people need our help. In response to this crisis, MWC launched a pilot effort to support soup kitchens in urban areas in 2001. To date, this effort has been a great success.

MWC volunteers in New Jersey have appeared every month for almost twelve months to support Elijah’s Promise Soup Kitchen in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Every year the Greater Washington, DC area chapter serves annual dinners to local abused women's shelters. We look forward to volunteering at additional soup kitchens and shelters in the future through our chapters.

Adopt-A-Grandmother

Volunteers have also made our elders program a notable achievement. In addition to delivering nutritive supplements to Virginia seniors, young MWC members have been visiting nursing homes in the central New Jersey area. Volunteers are spending time with elderly residents and helping them with errands and other basic needs. Many elderly women have neither family nor friends to visit them frequently or, sadly, at all. MWC is happy to be able to provide our seniors with any possible comfort.