By Aaron Dorman
“It’s the start of a beautiful relationship,” said Omar Estwani, president of the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center.
It wasn’t just a nod to Casablanca. The NWIIC donated $10,000 to the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana on Friday afternoon, in a show of support for the community and efforts to fight food insecurity in the wake of the SNAP benefit freeze.
“If you save one life, you save all of humanity,” Estwani said about what the Quran instructs. “We knew we couldn’t stay silent. This is our responsibility. The NWIIC board agreed to this without hesitation.”
Due to the government shutdown, the Trump administration has paused SNAP disbursements and has held firm despite a federal court order last week that the USDA use emergency funds to fund the program.
“We’re honored to partner with the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana,” said Ferass Safadi, community representative for the NWIIC. “As we head into the winter months, this donation represents our shared commitment to ensuring no family in our community goes hungry.”
In a presentation involving NWIIC leaders and Food Bank of NWI Vice President of Development and Communications Scott Norman, the organizations emphasized the donation as an example of the religious community — of any faith — stepping up to help the Region.
“We encourage our members to donate to the food pantry and food bank,” Estwani said. “We’ve engaged with the Christian and Jewish communities as well. Whenever you can find free time and say you are ready to volunteer.”
According to Norman, there are over 2,200 families in Crown Point alone, where NWIIC is located, that have not received SNAP benefits this week.
“What’s happening in this country is very real,” he said, adding that he’d heard from families that, with 5 to 6 jobs, still can’t make ends meet. “Efforts like this help us solve hunger problems. This is our community; we all live here and come together. NWI has always stepped up and done the right thing, and I’m glad we are starting this new partnership with the NWIIC.”
In addition to his work with the NWIIC, Estwani said he works with a lot of seniors as an agent for Senior Care Insurance Services, and that he has encountered a number of concerned clients.
“I have seen firsthand how seniors are losing their benefits and being forced to lose Medicaid,” Estwani said. “I see how my customers are suffering and how important this need is. We look at this problem from many angles.”
While NWIIC leaders emphasized the need to support the local community, Estwani also tied the SNAP situation to how the federal government has treated Muslims at home and abroad, particularly as it relates to hunger.
“Food is our main source of sustenance to bring life and faith,” he said. “Our brothers and sisters in Gaza (many of whom are Christian) are dying of starvation. That’s not a foreign situation anymore.”
The Northwest Indiana Islamic Center is located at 9803 Colorado St. in Crown Point. For more information, including the NWIIC’s Sharing the Harvest holiday food drive, readers can go to nwiic.org/.