Saima Bhutta decided to roll up her sleeves and help others when she saw how many were suffering from the pandemic.
"Due to this crisis, a lot of people were suffering. It was the month of Ramadan. We do a lot of good things during this month. We wanted to do something good for our community,” Bhutta explained.
Working with the Burlington County social services office and the Muslim community, she pinpointed people who were food insecure due to the pandemic and reached out to local restaurants for help.
Bukhara restaurant co-owner Muhammad Awais Karni says his family’s Burlington business was struggling too, and that was reason enough to help.
“We made meals. Saima and her colleagues came to pick up the food,” he explained.
Now, 50 to 60 meals a day are being delivered by volunteers wearing personal protection equipment to homes in Camden and Burlington counties, says Bhutta.
And Karni’s take out business has picked up too
“It feels good to make them feel better. This is a community that we try to help,” he said.