Our Story

**HOW CAN WE SUPPORT THE WHOLE PERSON FLOURISH IN OUR COMMUNITY ?**

CREATED TO SERVE

IslamicFamily was created to serve our community. We serve those going through difficulties. We serve those in need of a shoulder to lean on. We serve those new to our city and our country. We serve elders, families, youth, children.

At IslamicFamily, our clients are our focus. We work alongside community partners, agencies and government bodies to provide culturally and spiritually sensitive services that are not found elsewhere. Through IslamicFamily, clients have access to programs that address food and economic security, domestic violence, relevant and meaningful counselling and outreach, newcomer settlement, belonging and home, and ways to connect to the larger Edmonton community.

HISTORY

IslamicFamily was incorporated in 1992 by a small group of Muslims in Edmonton concerned about the growing hunger, economic insecurity and poverty they were seeing emerging in the community. Believing that service and care for others is a foundational part of Islamic faith, IslamicFamily's founders began serving the community and feeding people out of a small home basement. From this small starting point, IslamicFamily has gone on to make positive change in thousands of lives.

What began as a humble food bank soon became a two-story warehouse unit serving an ever-growing number of families and individuals in need. Today, IslamicFamily has expanded beyond a food bank to become a holistic social service provider operating out of three locations in Edmonton.

IslamicFamily serves more than 5000 people every month - from Red Deer to Ft Mac. These services range from counselling and support to individuals experiencing family violence, facilitating the settlement of hundreds of refugees and newcomers, providing immediate financial assistance to those in emergency situations, creating a nurturing support network for youth in the city, and conducting workshops, trainings and cultural projects dedicated to holistic community well-being.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

IslamicFamily would like to acknowledge that we are located on the traditional lands, referred to as Treaty 6 Territory, and that the City of Edmonton and all of our staff, clients and people here are beneficiaries of this peace and friendship treaty. Treaty 6 encompasses the traditional territories of numerous western Canadian First Nations such as the Cree, Saulteaux (So-toe), Blackfoot, Métis, Dene (De-nay) and Nakota Sioux (Sue). IslamicFamily acknowledges all the many First Nations, Métis and Inuit people who have called this area home since time immemorial.