A group of volunteers delivering food initiatives across Merseyside have seen a rise in requests from desperate people amid the cost of living crisis.
Liverpool Muslim Outreach Society is an organisation who have been providing food support to Merseyside's communities since 2018. But the society admits the recent cost of living crisis has seen a rise in demand for their services as they work not just in the Muslim community but for anyone who needs help in the region.
Tahir Khan, a trustee for the society, told the ECHO their immediate concern is trying to reduce the number of people suffering from food poverty. Mr Khan said: "The work we do is open to everybody - we don't discriminate on race or religion.
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"We need to look outside our privileges and look at the community of Merseyside as a whole and address the concerns for food poverty - it's a basic right for every human being."
Britain is in the midst of a cost of living crisis with worrying rises in fuel and energy costs with around 22 million households expected to see their bills soar in the coming weeks. The country is also expected to see record inflation hit grocery bills plunging those already struggling into financial turmoil.
The society is already providing a number of initiatives around the region supporting vulnerable groups who are at the greatest risk of the cost of living crisis. The society is a group of volunteers who started their work because they felt there was a need for access to food for vulnerable groups.
Mr Khan, 46, from Woolton, said: "No one is paid in our society - we're all volunteers. Islam is the only faith that stipulates charity as part of your worship - it's one of the five pillars of Islam.
"We saw there was a big need for access to food not just in the Muslim community but across Merseyside. We wanted to work with others outside our community because in the past we've been told people had found difficulty in terms of engagement with us.
"Now we have volunteers from a range of different faiths all with the sole purpose of providing food and other types of support for those who need it."
The society works closely with a number of groups including the homeless in Liverpool city centre, the elderly who required additional support through the pandemic, and asylum seekers who Mr Khan explained particularly need help due to the lack of sympathy and misrepresentation they often face.
People who are struggling for food can also refer themselves to the society for food parcel delivery. The organisation's ethos is "give from the best of what we have" meaning the quality of food they give is better than most food banks.
The cost of living crisis is affecting Muslim families more than anyone else according to recent information from Islamic Relief. The charity estimated half of the UK Muslim population will struggle to provide enough food for their families to break their fast during Ramadan with an estimated 1.6m Muslims living in poverty and deprivation.
Mr Khan said last Ramadan they delivered over 300 parcels but due to the rising costs of fuel this year they can't deliver the parcels so instead are working with Spend Well, a shop on Lodge Lane who are providing the food. He said the pandemic and the cost of living crisis are reasons why Muslim families are being particularly affected but draws attention to other issues surrounding education and opportunity.
Mr Khan said due to his and his fellow volunteers' privileges they need to give back to the community as "no one can go without food inside them".
He added although he isn't from Liverpool originally and has only settled in the city he is proud of how Liverpool has maintained its multiculturalism. He said: "Liverpool was built on immigration and that was one of the reasons I was drawn to the city.
"We and other food charities in the city all work for each other to provide support for those who need it. I call myself an adopted scouser - it's something I like to be a part of."
