Hundreds in Milwaukee help pack food for Syrian refugees

Sheila Badwan and Nisreen Abed arrived at Saturday's interfaith food pack with a family of Syrian refugees in tow. As soon as the mother of the family got out of the car, she was heartened by an unexpected sight: dozens of people ready to help her displaced countrymen and women.

"They're fearful they're going to get sent back, so she was actually surprised to see all these people here," said Badwan, who works with Ma'ruf Heart in Milwaukee to support refugees.

Hundreds of people from the greater Milwaukee area gathered at the Islamic Community Center on W. Layton Ave. and worked throughout the day to package food for Syrian refugees displaced by the country's civil war. The food will be sent to Jordan, where an estimated 1.5 million Syrians now reside after fleeing their country, many living in unsustainable conditions.

The event was designed to attract volunteers of all faiths. Nisreen Atta, an administrative assistant for the Islamic Society of Milwaukee and organizer of the food pack, said Muslims, Christians, Jews and Sikhs worked five shifts from morning to evening.

"I'm blessed to be American. I'm blessed to be raised in this society," Atta said. "But many people don't have that opportunity, so it's important that we do these

Although the Syrian civil war has raged for six years, awareness of the conflict has increased in the U.S. in recent years. President Donald Trump has vowed he would, at least temporarily, keep Syrian refugees out of the United States, citing fears that terrorists from the Muslim-majority country would make it through

While Trump's policies were on the minds of many Saturday, the primary goal remained to help those in need and bridge community divides.

Karl Ralian, president of Worldwide Hunter Relief in Waukesha, said he expected about 100,000 meals would be packaged. Ralian's nonprofit buys the ingredients — granulated soy, rice, vitamin powder, dehydrated vegetables — and relies on volunteers to package them before shipping to countries in need.

"The nice thing about a food pack is while you're packing the food, you have an opportunity to talk to one another, learn about one another," said Ralian. "That's like the extra bit of salt in the meal."

Fox Point resident Alana Hammer arrived for a 90-minute shift with her 8-year-old daughter, Auden, who helped scoop rice and fill food packs.

"I hope she feels good about herself knowing that she's supporting other people, some who might be her age but in different situations," Hammer said