Mosque Backers Give Out Free Book Bags To Students

The lot at 2812 Voorhies Avenue may have been the site of consternation and conflict during the last several months over plans to build a mosque. But this Sunday it’ll be a site of charity and generosity.

To celebrate Ramadan and usher in the new school year, local Muslims, the Muslim American Society (MAS) and the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) are teaming up to give out free school bags and school supplies to the Sheepshead Bay community this coming Sunday, September 5.

A total of 300 school bags containing notebooks, pens, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, rulers, crayons and more will be distributed. Organizers say hundreds of families are expected to attend this Sunday’s event.

During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are urged to scale up charitable acts, hoping that a month of increased kindness would carry on throughout the year. Through the “Back to School Giveaway”, ICNA and MAS hope to both help struggling families provide for their children.

“This initiative hopes to cater to the needs of low-income families in the community – families under financial pressure, those who have lost jobs, and those finding difficulty in buying school supplies for their children,” organizers wrote in their press release.

When: Sunday, September 5, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Where: MAS Sheepshead Bay Center, 2812 Voorhies Avenue