Halal hot meal service supports Afghan evacuees in Canberra

The father and senior IT consultant felt helpless during the first few days but decided to offer a hot halal meal service through online noticeboards.

At first, he had a few people private messaging him for the free meal.

But with many workplaces suddenly shut down and no income support during those first few weeks, the number quickly swelled to more than 100 orders a day.

Overwhelmed but eager to help, Mr Hasan created an online form system and enlisted the help of a friend who owned a kitchen to help him deal with the demand.

While he had started the idea using his own money, the cost had quickly grown out of control and he turned to online fundraising, which has kept his deliveries going through the nine-week lockdown.

"To be honest, I was quite shocked," Mr Hasan said at the demand for his service.

"People are really quite needy in the community. As soon as someone's income stops, or they can't work for their regular income, it becomes difficult."

Canberra's lockdown coincided with another major event - the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

Thousands of Afghans were brought to Australia at a moment's notice, including some who arrived in the ACT while everything was shut down.

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Mr Hasan said his order list included more than 60 recent Afghan arrivals.

But he felt his service was more than just food delivery. It also provided Afghans a person to talk to in hard, isolating times.

Mr Hasan said his devout Islamic faith was the main driver behind his charitable efforts but explained many of the Afghan arrivals were of a different sect of Islam - Shia.

The Taliban, predominantly Sunni Muslim, have long targeted ethnic and religious minorities, like Shia Muslims, within Afghanistan, leading many of the recent arrivals to be wary, he said.

But his discussions with his meal recipients had helped to start healing some of their trauma, Mr Hasan said.

"I was able to do a little bit on my part to reduce the frustration, fear, agony," he said.

The lessons Mr Hasan has learned will stay with him but he's not ready to stop now lockdown has finished.

A generous donation from Chief Minister Andrew Barr has helped convince him there is an ongoing need for his charity and he's vowed to continue on while he can sustain it alongside his full-time job.

"This pandemic actually showed the cracks in the society, not just with the Afghanistan situation, but in the general population," he said.

"I cannot stop this service because I see the benefit that it is having on the community.

"Giving to others is a wonderful feeling."

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