Charity appeals for halal meat donations for food parcels

Edinburgh and Lothian Regional Equality Council needs specific items for families in the city.

A charity is appealing for donations of halal meat to help the Muslim population in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh and Lothian Regional Equality Council (ELREC) has supported low income families throughout lockdown and is fundraising to continue its project.

Demand has been high at the charity, which has operated for almost 50 years, as it hands out on average 30 food parcels a week to those in need.

However, ELREC needs specific items for families, such as nappies, baby milk and halal meat.

Foysol Choudhury MBE, the chairman, said: “We know the needs for every religion because we are an ethnic minority organisation. We’ve been doing this sort of work for a very very long time.

“We know what Muslim people want, we know what Hindu people want, we know what Christian people want and we know what to offer.

“But the bottom line is that people do feel comfortable coming to us and talking to us because our volunteers speak every different language.”