Meal Train® for Afghan Refugees in Southern Vermont
Meal Train® for Afghan Refugees in Southern Vermont
Recipient Info
Allergies or Restrictions
We are providing a Halal diet. There are many forbidden foods for Muslims. These are referred to as Haram. Some examples: Do not use any alcohol, vanilla extract, or alcohol-containing essences. Do not use pork in any form. Do not use ingredients containing rennet, gelatin, blood, or animal fats (except fats naturally within halal-certified meat). Allowable foods are referred to as Halal. Any meat/poultry/seafood or meat/poultry/seafood broth that you include in your ingredients MUST be certified Halal (which means permitted foods for a Muslim), clearly marked on the package. IT IS BETTER TO OFFER A VEGETARIAN DISH that you are sure contains nothing Haram, than to offer a meat dish where you are not sure of the certification. Dan Yurco, the manager at Hannaford, has said that they carry fresh Halal certified beef, lamb, and chicken at the store in Brattleboro. Specifically, customers should look for: Nature’s Promise grass fed beef, Farmers Focused chicken products, and Catelli lamb. He stated that all of these carry the Halal certified seal (but please look for it yourself, to be sure you are getting the correct thing). The Brattleboro Food Co-op carries Farmers Focused as well, and there is a discount if you pre-order a case. More information about Haram and Halal can be found here: https://www.icv.org.au/about/about-islam-overview/what-is-halal-a-guide-for-non-muslims/ and here: https://www.gfs.com/en-us/ideas/eating-according-religious-practices-kosher-and-halal Again, it is perfectly fine to prepare a vegetarian meal as long as its ingredients meet Halal requirements!
Food For
35 Adults, 5 Kids
Drop-Off Time
11:30am-11:45pm
Special Instructions
To help our guests feel more welcome, we are trying to prepare dishes that are familiar to them from home. So this is a chance for you to learn a little about delicious Afghan cuisine! Please prepare a main dish of your choice using recipes from one of these websites: http://www.afghankitchenrecipes.com/ https://www.afghanyummyfood.com/ https://afghancooks.com/recipes-2/ You may use another source of Afghan recipes if you have a good one. Please be generous with the spices, herbs, salt, and oil called for in the recipe: we have been hearing that they find our versions of their dishes somewhat bland, and that "we especially want spicy food when we feel sad." Table spices (salt, pepper, chili pepper, cinnamon) are already provided. If you really want to, you may add a side dish or dessert, but these are not required. If you deliver in dishes that you would like back, please label them clearly with something that won’t come off with washing. We will let you know when-where to pick them up. Serving utensils are not needed. You are welcome to arrange to partner with others to share the work, and we now have our signup arranged so people can individually sign up to make just half the food. We also have a volunteer who would like to make dessert only, once a week - let us know if you’d like to have them add on to your meal. For any joint efforts, please coordinate with each other to have only one person do the delivery, to limit COVID exposure risk and demands on staff time, and respect everyone's privacy. Delivery is to the International Center on the SIT Campus. This is the largest of the white buildings on campus. During weekdays, Jill Williams or a volunteer will help you unload your car. If you have difficulties you can call Jill at 802-380-2971. If you are a cleared volunteer with the program, we welcome your help serving your dish and invite you to sit down and eat with everyone. This accomplishes the meeting of two needs: ensure everyone gets something to eat and fostering connections with the wider community. Call Stacey, MCC Program Manager, at 603-903-5621 with more questions.
Meal Drop-Off Location
Brattleboro, VT
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