Food Basics is partnering up with Muslim communities during Ramadan this year to build connections with new Canadians and help brighten the festive occasion for underserved communities.

The International Development and Relief Foundation (IDRF) helped Food Basics link up with mosques in Mississauga and Waterloo, Ont., in an effort to expand services for Ramadan events and provide food to support up to 700 Ontarians breaking their fasts.

Michael Sangiuliano, the senior manager of brand and digital at Food Basics parent company Metro, says the initiative was an opportunity to actively participate in a holiday that exemplifies the sentiments of community engagement and neighbourly co-operation.

“Ramadan itself is so community focused,” Sangiuliano tells strategy. “It’s the sharing, it’s the celebration. It’s not a singular holiday where you get together and cook your food for yourself and so on. There’s community and giving back.”

The two locations were selected through consultations with the IDRF, a registered Canadian charity based on the Islamic principles of human dignity, self-reliance, social justice and equality. Because of booming Muslim populations in the Waterloo and Mississauga areas, some community members, whether they be students, isolated families or those without sufficient resources, will inevitably be left without a place to gather for their iftar meals.

“So many of these Muslim community organizations have this growing need during Ramadan in terms of underserved parishioners,” Sangiuliano says. “And so to help uplift those individuals, that was the contribution that we wanted to make. …  And we saw a great alignment between the IDRF’s mission (to address) food insecurity and ours, which our core mission is to nourish the health and well-being of Canadians.”

Food Basics says 190 people attended Thursday’s event at the Waterloo Wasjid and roughly 500 attended Friday’s festivities the Muslim Neighbour Nexus in Mississauga. Hundreds of visitors gather at the mosques each day during Ramadan.

Throughout the 30-day holiday period, which runs until Saturday, Food Basics also running a $10 off online exclusive promotion on Ramadan products and produced flyers and store signage tailored to Muslim communities.

The outreach initiative is a carry-over from a Ramadan event last April in which Food Basics partnered with the Sayyidah Zainab Muslim Community Centre in Ajax, Ont., to host an interfaith gathering of about 200 people.

Nabil Ali, the chief operating officer at IDRF, says the partnership with Food Basics aids in his organization’s long-term goal of alleviating food insecurity and uplifting communities in need.

“Food is a universal language that connects people across cultures, and Ramadan is a time when meals bring families and communities together,” Ali said in a news release. “Through this partnership, Food Basics and IDRF are not just providing meals – we’re creating opportunities for people to experience the rich diversity of traditions that make our communities stronger.”