Day 6: Sharing Allah's Bounty

"The perfect Muslim is not a perfect Muslim, who eats till he is full and leaves his neighbors hungry." Hadith by Ibn Abbas

She was the first one to approach our table early Saturday morning at the Rockville Farmer's Market, where we were collecting fresh produce for Manna, a local food bank.  With tears in her eyes she dropped a $5 bill in our jar and whispered, "I'm so embarrassed."   "Thank you so much for your generosity," I said.  "No, thank you, thank you for all that you do," she insisted, "My son gets food from Manna each month."  A mother trying to help a child perhaps too embarrassed to accept from her directly.

It was a beautiful morning -- the cool breeze felt great after scorching summer days, even if it did keep knocking our donation sign down.  Our bins filled up over the course of the morning, with corn, string beans, zucchini, squash, pasta,  even a packet of diapers, as local residents bought their weekly produce -- some for themselves, some to share.  Many donated money, mostly ones and fives, always saying "wish we could give more."  Some told us they had once benefited from Manna's programs, happy to give back.   By early afternoon, we had collected 760 pounds of fruits and vegetables. People's generosity is boundless.

Day 6: deed 6: Sharing Allah's bounty.