The day before Thanksgiving, Lt. Governor-Elect Ghazala Hashmi donned a bright yellow reflective vest and held out a bright green shopping bag filled with produce at the door of a busy food pantry in the Lakeside neighborhood of Henrico.
As the groups of people lined up outside the Islamic Center of North America food pantry before the 3 p.m. opening time stepped inside the warehouse, they were met by staff and volunteers who tallied up the visitors’ information for the Feed More system, meant to keep track of the growing number of people seeking food around the region. Hashmi calmly extended the shopping bag to the recipients, who also were given boxes with rice, chicken, bread and pastries to bring home.
A cross section of people, from small children to elderly, all walked out with a shopping bag and box of food, providing nutrition and economic relief. The fruits and vegetables, rice, bread and crucially Hallal chicken, prepared according to Islamic religious tradition, would provide food for the long weekend and for many, a way to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday…