2018/06/15 Tzu Chi West Toronto
Volunteers give out donations with their utmost respect (90-degree bow) and sincere wish.Eid al-Fitr is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. To ensure that our donations were appropriate for the recipients, Tzu Chi volunteers educated themselves on the significance of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr to Muslims and what they would like to eat after fasting for a month.
To bring our new Muslim acquaintances some familiar hometown tastes in their new country, Tzu Chi West Toronto volunteers prepared food packages that included almonds (to help replenish their energy quickly), honey (a main ingredient used for making sweets), sunflower oil, and dates.
On June 15, the second day of Eid al-Fitr, 60 heavy packages were delivered to the Arab Community Centre of Toronto (ACCT) for our second donation of 2018. The volunteers were greeted with a warm welcome from ACCT’s Executive Director Huda Bukhari, who commented: “Without your support, and without your coming in to provide us with assistance, we as a not-for-profit cannot do anything. So we really have to thank you.” Ms. Bukhari then introduced Tzu Chi in Arabic to the recipients.
Tzu Chi volunteers and ACCT staff help to transport the food packages to the meeting room. 
Tzu Chi volunteers put together 60 bags of food items for distribution.
Shadi Shami, ACCT’s Community Engagement Counselor, said, “It’s about love, it’s about humanity. Allah ordered us to love each other, and to feed each other, and to feel the suffering of each other so that we can help each other. The same as you are doing today, [Tzu Chi] to our Muslim clients.”
After giving out the packages with utmost respect, Tzu Chi volunteers took some time to mingle with their new Muslim friends. Volunteer David Tang said that he was very grateful for the opportunity to build a new bridge of friendship. He indicated that through their conversations, they had discovered that some residents required extra support, so Tzu Chi would arrange to provide additional assistance based on their needs. David’s main take-away from that day was recognizing how blessed he is, and how he can share his blessings with those in need.
ACCT’s Executive Director Huda Bukhari (in the middle) introduces Tzu Chi volunteers with enthusiasm. 
Shadi Shami (standing at the front), ACCT’s Community Engagement Counselor, describes Tzu Chi volunteers as their earnest friends.
By donating food items based on the recipients’ ethnic background, Tzu Chi volunteers show that we respect and care about them. 
The children found the Jing Si bookmarks very interesting.
The friendly smile of the volunteers makes new residents from the Middle East feel at ease.