CLEVELAND — Inside Rumi’s Market in Cleveland, boxes and boxes are filled with groceries and ready to go.
“We have beans, lentils, bread, we’re also doing meats like chicken. We have cereal, cookies, anything you need,” said Monty Merza, volunteer with the Cleveland Muslim Volunteers group. Boxes even include spices and oils to make full meals.
They’re giving two weeks worth of free food, for families in need — making daily deliveries all over Cleveland. East side, west side and in between.
“It really ranges in ages as well,” Merza said. “We just had someone who was 104 years old who needed groceries and was so grateful.”
The group started the free grocery delivery program in March, when Ohio began shutting down due to coronavirus.
And they’ve seen the need grow week by week.
“We started with about 15-20. The last couple weeks, we’ve been doing 70 to 80 deliveries a week,” Merza said.
The free groceries and deliveries are available to anyone in need — regardless of religion or income level.
“People who might be sick, people who are elderly, or people who are just fearful of the current environment, they don’t want to leave their home,” Merza said.
And during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which comes to a close this weekend, the will to help has been great for this group.
“In Islam, we are commanded to help those in need and feed people, and to serve the community — so that was the whole idea,” Merza said.
Volunteers say its about more than just delivering the groceries to front doors— it’s been about making personal connections with each of the families they serve. That means consistently checking in and seeing if there are more ways they can continue to help.
If you need FREE groceries delivered, you can click here to sign up.
If you are interested in donating or volunteering your time, you can click here for more details.
