Food Banks Mississauga has launched its annual Ramadan Give 30 fundraising campaign, saying close to a third of the people who turn to its network for help ask for halal food.

The organization says 31 per cent of food bank visitors across the city request halal options. Its chief executive, Meghan Nicholls, said donations made during the holy month pay for healthy food and allow the food bank to source more halal products.

With rising food costs stretching food bank visitors, we urgently need your support this Ramadan.

— Meghan Nicholls, CEO, Food Banks Mississauga

Ramadan, a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community for Muslims, began Feb. 17 and continues until March 19 in Canada. The food bank says nearly 49,000 Mississauga residents rely on it for food. Nicholls said too many people in the city work more than one job and still skip meals so their children or older relatives can eat.

What Give 30 asks of donors

Give 30 is a grassroots initiative that started in 2012. It invites people of every faith to think about those who go without food and to give in the spirit of Ramadan. Food Banks Mississauga, the largest food bank group in the city, oversees a network of more than 60 agencies and food programs.

This year's campaign has new backers. Islamic Relief Canada, a charity founded in 2006, is the sponsor, and the Mississauga-based National Zakat Foundation is matching monetary donations. Mayor Carolyn Parrish and Dr. Hamid Slimi, imam of the Sayeda Khadija Centre mosque in Mississauga, are also lending their support.

A 30 Days of Giving Ramadan Challenge encourages Muslim families and mosques to raise money together, or to direct their zakat, the annual charitable donation, to the food bank so it can buy food for neighbours living in poverty.

Slimi said feeding the hungry is one of the best ways to show the best of oneself during Ramadan. Parrish said the giving of Mississauga residents during the month would have an immediate effect on families facing food insecurity, including children who go hungry.

Ramadan is a time of mercy and reminds us to care for the most vulnerable in our community.

— Raheel Irfan, CEO, National Zakat Foundation

Coming off a record winter

The Ramadan appeal follows the food bank's 2025 holiday drive, which raised a record $3.2 million, the most the community has given to a single campaign.

Tufail Hussain, chief executive of Islamic Relief Canada, said his organization is working with the food bank so that families facing hardship can get food with dignity.

Donations to the campaign can be made through the Food Banks Mississauga website throughout Ramadan.