Molenbeek Youth Group Launches Food Drive to Aid Community During Lockdown

"We saw the initiative of Anneessens 25 and saw that the demand is huge, so we also decided to open a collection point located at 48 rue de Ribaucourt in Molenbeek," says Oussama Karam Ziani, a member of the Futsal Espoirs Molenbeek association, to La Dernière Heure. Supported by the young people of the neighborhood, this association collects donations, including basic necessities kits. Then the young people deliver these kits to people in need.

"People make financial donations, but some merchants also offer us bags of potatoes, onions, etc.," says Karam Ziani. According to him, the association buys all kinds of food such as pasta, milk, eggs, water, flour, salt, sugar, rice, tomato sauce, biscuits, honey, but also shampoo or toothpaste.

This solidarity action began at the beginning of this week. "We distribute between 100 and 150 parcels per day. We cover all of Brussels but the main requests come from the surrounding municipalities such as Jette, Koekelberg, Ganshoren or Berchem," explains Oussama.

"We are going through a very special period and it is now that we must show solidarity. I would like to thank all the donors, the merchants of Molenbeek who offer us food, the wholesalers and of course the citizens who come to drop off the goods," he concludes.