Inspirations of Providing Human Services

Quranic Surah (Chapter) Lail (The Night) – Surah 092 - Aayahs (Verses) 18-to-21: “Who gives away their wealth (resources), purifying themselves - And have in their minds no favor from anyone for which a reward is expected in return - Except the seeking of the Pleasure of their Lord, the Most High - And soon will they attain (complete) satisfaction.”

Quranic Surah Baqarah (The Cow) – Surah 002 – Aayah 177: “It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing.”

ICNA-Houston Human Services Programs

Not everyone in the society can take care of their basic daily needs, due to various reasons. ICNA-Houston recognizes this and has been working actively on various humanitarian projects. Idea is to fulfill the immediate basic human needs and provide social services to the undeserved. ICNA-Houston operates under the principle that all people are created equal, and when given the right tools, will thrive and bring communities. We promote justice by creating the opportunities for the less fortunate to lead healthy and productive lives.

Some of the projects include:

i) Garage Sale to Future Thrift Store: In order to generate funds for more charitable projects, ICNA-Houston organizes various Garage Sales for charity. We collect and sell donated items out of these garage sales. Plans are in place to save some of this sales money to start future thrift stores. We are encouraging all Houstonians to come forward with their assistance towards this program as volunteers, and give in-kind & cash contributions.

ii) Family Support Services: To create awareness and educate the community about good family values, ICNA-Houston provides pre-marriage and marital counseling by religious and professional counselors; help in the representation of Muslim community members with regards to Islamic and family related issues in the Family Courts and assist in foster parent services and financial support to the needy. ICNA-Houston continues to help local needy families with its limited resources. We get requests for small-scale help mostly from single sisters with family. The requests are carefully evaluated via personal contacts and the references. Then a determination is made about the size and duration of the financial help. We are always looking for more help – both financial and volunteers to help investigate the cases and fulfilling the requests of the persons in dire needs.

iii) Social Support: ICNA-Houston connects families in stress with resources or raise funds for them for their legal or financial help. We have helped Students with their tuition and job placement. We have link to four national Crisis Chaplaincy Family Counselors to help couples and families, who are facing crisis of some sort in their family or individuals lives.

iv) Women Shelter / Temporary Housing: Sleeping Accommodation for 14 Women; Breakfast and Dinner for Residents; Intensive Case Management / Counseling / Referrals to Job Skill Training, Education, Public Housing; provides Meeting and Classroom Space.

v) Hunger Prevention Programs: ICNA-Houston has been arranging every Sunday luncheon Feed-the-Hungry program for over three years, regularly distributing around 200-300 meals in downtown Houston (now-a-days along LaBranch at Pierce). Four zones of ICNA-Houston (North, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest) take turns every Sunday to distribute cooked meals among the homeless and needy.

As part of Eid-AL-Adha celebrations, to share Allah’s bounties with the community at large, we celebrate Abraham’s Day, where over a thousand meals are distributed at various apartment complexes in the Greater Houston Region among refugees & needy.

3) Food Pantry We collect non perishable food cans in “Food Drives” in partnership with Houston Food Bank and ISGH Masajid and also collect them from Desi grocery stores to provide for families in need.

vi) Disaster Relief: In the recent past, due to the Blessings of Allah SWT & our dedicated volunteers, ICNA-Houston has responded most promptly to disasters like Katrina, and IKE. When several thousand refugees had come as guests of Houston from Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, ICNA-Houston joined hands with the faith-based community and several governmental authorities to provide lodging, and food services to several hundred Louisianans’. Due to the proactive work of ICNA-Houston, ICNA Relief now is being recognized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD), and has received federal grants to provide rehabilitation services.

vii) Refugee Support: ICNA-Houston has been providing Clothes and Food to Refugee population in this region. There are more needs for the refugees and for that ICNA-Houston is in need of further assistance and volunteers to further develop this program.

 Food Pantry (Food Drives)

We have added a new location for  Feeding in Galveston once a month, our regular feeding occurs every Sun in the downtown area.