Halal Meals for Michigan Elders

By Dina Rabie, IOL Staff

WASHINGTON – Muslims elders in the state of Michigan can now get free halal meals delivered to their doorstep thanks to the first of its kind federally-funded program which sponsors say could prove popular in many areas across the country.

"It was a community initiative that we were trying to do for 5 years now," Amne Talab, social services director at the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) in Dearborn, told IslamOnline.net.

"We felt the Muslim seniors are not benefiting from the social services they can receive."

The "Halal Meals on Wheels" program is a joint effort between ACCESS and Senior Alliance Area Agency on Aging 1-C, two non-profit organizations.

It started last month with the aim of helping elderly Muslims who are incapable of preparing their own food according to Islamic teachings get home-delivered halal meals.

Muslims should only eat meat from livestock slaughtered by a sharp knife from their necks, and the name of Allah, the Arabic word for God, must be mentioned.

Talab, who is also the state's Commissioner on Services to the Aging, started to work on having the funding necessary for the program from the southern and western Wayne County.

Senior Alliance identified and secured federal funding for the project through a state agency.

It took three years to get the service off the ground.

The meals are delivered only to eligible people in southern and western Wayne County.

"There is a whole set of requirements that must qualify those who want to benefit from the program," explains Talab, adding that recipients must be at least 60, confined to their homes and unable to make their own meals.

"Recipients are encouraged to make a donation, but they do not have to pay for the meals."

Michigan is home to the largest Muslim and Arab concentrations in the US.

Although there are no official statistics, the US is believed to be home to between seven to eight million Muslims.

Needed

Talab says reactions to the program have been very positive so far, and many recipients say the service was long overdue.

"The community is very happy that we are doing this," she asserted.

"They feel that at least somebody is helping them."

She noted that especially after the financial crisis, there is not much support for the seniors in the community.

"Some seniors do not have children to help them. Even the parents do not want to be a burden on their children anymore."

The halal meals come from two companies, Midamar Corp, the first and largest US producer of Halal foods, and the Iowa-based Mom's Meals.

"We have heard that the meals are well received, a needed service for the elderly," Von Kennedy, Director of Business Development at Midamar, told IOL.

He believes the Halal Meals program can prove successful for other states with large Muslim populations.

"As a cost-saving measure, providing nourishment for the elderly in a home environment is much less expensive to the more costly care in hospitals and nursing homes.

"We are looking to expand to other cities including rural as we can ship anywhere."

Talab believes such programs can be very helpful for aging in many communities in the country, not necessarily Muslims.

"Even in the Asian and Jewish communities, seniors can benefit from programs like the Halal Meals on Wheels because they too have special requirements."