Luton, February 2025 — On a cold morning in February, Shamaila adjusted her shawl as she joined other volunteers to sort boxes of donated food in a small community hall. “It’s simple work,” she said, stacking tins and bags of rice, “but when a family goes home knowing they can cook dinner, that’s when you feel the real reward.”
In Luton, where many families live on tight budgets, food banks and neighbourhood charity projects have become lifelines. Volunteers from the Pakistani community say they feel a duty to contribute time, money, and effort, especially during the winter months when demand peaks.
Giving time and effort
Nauman, who works nights as a taxi driver, said he prefers to spend a few hours each week volunteering. “I could be resting, but this makes me feel alive. My parents always told me khidmat (service) is ibadat. When you share what little you have, Allah puts barakah in it.”
For Haleema, who coordinates collections with a group of local women, the motivation is clear: “This isn’t about big charity organisations. It’s about neighbours helping neighbours. Some people are too embarrassed to ask for food — we make it easier for them.”
Quiet organisation
Projects like these often run on shoestring budgets. Fahad, who helps organise distributions, explained: “We don’t have fancy offices. It’s a couple of storage rooms, a rota for volunteers, and whatever donations we can collect from shops or individuals. The requests for food have doubled in the past two years, but so has the commitment to keep this running.”
Inspiring the younger generation
Young people are playing a role too. Yusra, a sixth-form student, spends her Saturdays sorting clothes and toys for redistribution. “At first it felt like a chore,” she admitted. “But then I saw children smiling when they got winter coats. That changed everything. Now I remind my friends to come with me.”
Her mother, Haleema, sees this as an investment in values. “It teaches them shukar (gratitude). They see people who struggle, and they realise how important it is to give, even when you don’t have much yourself.”
Changing perceptions
For many volunteers, these efforts are also about building bridges. Nauman described meeting people from different walks of life. “At the distribution, you see pensioners, new migrants, families who’ve fallen on hard times. When they hear we’re from the Pakistani community, serving them tea and handing out food, it changes their thinking about us.”
Fahad agreed: “People may have stereotypes, but when they see us side by side, helping, those barriers start to break.”
Looking forward
Challenges remain — fewer supermarket donations, rising costs, and volunteer fatigue. But there is determination. Shamaila said: “We cannot solve every problem, but we can make sure one less family sleeps hungry. That is why we keep showing up.”
For Haleema, it’s about continuity: “If our children grow up seeing this as normal, they will carry it forward. That is our real success.”
Nauman added: “We are not waiting for big organisations to fix things. We do what we can, with what we have. And that is enough.”
لٹن میں پاکستانی کمیونٹی کے لوگ اپنی کمیونٹی ہالز اور چھوٹے منصوبوں کے ذریعے فوڈ بینک اور مقامی خیراتی کاموں میں بڑھ چڑھ کر حصہ لے رہے ہیں۔
شمیلہ صبح سویرے ڈبے ترتیب دیتی ہیں اور کہتی ہیں کہ یہ تھکا دینے والا کام نہیں بلکہ سکون دینے والا ہے۔
نعمان، جو رات کی ڈیوٹیاں کرتے ہیں، وضاحت کرتے ہیں کہ خدمت عبادت ہے اور یہی ان کے والدین نے سکھایا تھا۔
حلیمہ خواتین کے ایک چھوٹے گروپ کے ساتھ عطیات اکٹھے کرتی ہیں تاکہ لوگ شرمندگی کے بغیر مدد لے سکیں۔
فہد نے بتایا کہ ان کا نظام سادہ ہے — چند اسٹور رومز، رضاکاروں کی فہرست اور دکانوں یا افراد سے ملنے والے عطیات۔
یُسرا، جو طالبہ ہیں، کہتی ہیں کہ شروع میں یہ سب بوجھ لگتا تھا لیکن بچوں کے چہروں پر خوشی دیکھ کر یہ ان کی عادت بن گئی۔
یہ سرگرمیاں صرف کھانے کی فراہمی تک محدود نہیں بلکہ مختلف طبقوں کو قریب لا رہی ہیں۔ پاکستانی کمیونٹی کے لوگ جب خدمت کرتے ہیں تو معاشرے کی سوچ بدلتی ہے۔
چیلنجز کے باوجود، جذبہ مضبوط ہے۔ رضاکار مانتے ہیں کہ اگر نئی نسل کو یہ روایت منتقل ہو گئی تو یہی سب سے بڑی کامیابی ہوگی۔
