Arab and Chaldean Group Helps Needy in Detroit with Food, Coats
SOURCE: DETROIT FREE PRESS
BY: HASAN DUDAR
Before she got sick, Nefertiti King said, she never needed anyone to help her.
“I was always a helper,” King, 44, of Detroit said Saturday “Now it’s like my time has came.”
King, who said she became homeless three years ago after undergoing brain surgery for an aneurysm, was among hundreds of people in need Saturday who attended the seventh-annual Christmas Giveaway Event hosted by the Arab American and Chaldean Council at its youth center on Seven Mile Road.The ACC, a human services organization that mainly aids the area’s Middle Eastern community, gave out 500 coats, 300 sets of bed sheets and 1,900 meals, Kimberly Hassan, the group’s program coordinator, said. Hassan said at least 500 people attended the event and that many were able to take home multiple meals to their families. The meals were provided by Forgotten Harvest and included chicken, potatoes, vegetables, a roll, and desserts, Hassan said.
Winter coats, clothes, and toys were provided by DTE Energy Foundation, Ford Motor Company, and Huntington Bank, according to a news release.
“Everyone that comes here is obviously in need and going through a rough time,” Hassan said. “But the nice thing about these events is, you know, it puts a smile on people’s faces. It brings a community together.”
The event sure brought joy to Nefertiti King’s granddaughter, Sireneity King, 4, who received a plush toy puppy from “The Secret Life of Pets” movie from Hassan.
Overcome with gratitude, Nefertiti King, who also received bed sheets and food at the event, began crying when she saw the exchange. She thanked Hassan.
The event meant “everything,” Nefertiti King told the Free Press, and it lets her know that at her hardest times she’s still not forgotten.
