As’salaam alaikum (peace be upon you):

Since Washington Governor Inslee declared a state of emergency and announced the stay-at-home order 5 weeks ago, MAPS has made rapid changes to adapt to the new uncertain circumstances while providing the community with much needed services. You can see the COVID-19 section of our website for these changes as well as our weekly updates . The following are updates for the past week. As you will see below, the need is great and so is your generosity.

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Religious Services
The masjid remains closed until further notice. A silver lining has been that, while we miss seeing each other in person at MAPS, we have been able to hear from esteemed scholars and speakers from places as far as South Africa in our weekly Friday Virtual Khutbahs (sermons). Attendance has been encouraging. We are heartened to hear that some people who typically would not attend Friday services have started joining us and are getting much-needed spiritual upliftment from these sessions.

Ramadan 2020
Per the announcement of the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) and Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), MAPS will start the blessed month of Ramadan 1441 AH and fasting on Friday, April 24, and end on Saturday, May 23, 2020.

We are working on several online programs for Ramadan. Here is a preview of some of them – more information will be coming soon insha’Allah (God-willing).

MAPS will remain closed to the community in Ramadan until restrictions are removed for large gatherings.

Educational Services
Many of our educational classes have concluded in preparation for Ramadan. We will announce a new set of programs for Ramadan, please stay tuned to announcements from program administrators.

Human & Financial Services
MAPS-MCRC continues to see a steady stream of requests for human and financial services from people who lost or got furloughed from their jobs/income sources.

The past week saw 83 new requests for rent and utility assistance, of which 15 were fulfilled while the rest are awaiting additional information. We also got 32 requests for food assistance this week, all of which were fulfilled.
The requests for assistance for rent and utilities continue to increase as more families are impacted by the continuing economic slowdown resulting from COVID-19. We are counseling and educating them about the 120-day moratorium on evictions and utility shut offs, along with other resources that may be available to them.

Spotlight: A mother contacted MAPS-MCRC concerned about her son who recently lost his job and had developed COVID-19 symptoms. Fearing infection, his roommates made him leave the housing that they shared. Because his family has vulnerable family members, they were unable to take him in. This young person ended up sleeping in his car for 2 nights. In desperation, his mother reached out to us for help to find a safe place for her son. We are working with our partners to secure a short-term isolation unit for him during his recovery. In the meantime, he is being accommodated at a motel, where we expect he will stay for a few nights.

Face Mask Donation: We distributed around 5,000 surgical masks this past week (in addition to the hundreds that were distributed earlier) to healthcare providers and other agencies on the frontlines of protecting and keeping us safe during this time. Some of the recipients include:

• Overlake Hospital
• HealthPoint
• Alpha Supported Living Service
• City of Kirkland Emergency Services
• Redmond Fire Department
• Redmond Police Department
• Congregations for the Homeless – Shelter Programs
• Friends of Youth Shelter
• The Sophia Way – Womens’ Shelter Programs
• Community Homes
• Bishops Storehouse – Kent & Mukilteo

Hot Meals at Redmond Together Center: MAPS-MCRC is now serving boxed lunches, catered from local restaurants, to anyone in need from 11am to 2pm (or until supplies run out) on Tuesdays and Thursdays outside the office at Redmond Together Center, 16225 NE 87th Street, Suite A4, Redmond WA 98052. To limit exposure and comply with Public Health guidelines, we put out only 10 boxes at a time. Volunteers monitor the flow of clients to ensure compliance with social distancing measures and avoid crowding. This service also supports Friends of Youth Shelter, other partners of MAPS-MCRC in providing food to their clients and their families, and local restaurants that may be struggling.

Grants: MAPS has been applying for grants to support its work providing rental, utility, food, medical and other assistance to those in need. We are happy to announce that so far, we have received the following grants or funding support from different organizations who recognize the service we provide to the greater King County area:

Seattle Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund
King County COVID-19 Community Response Fund
City of Kirkland
Islamic Center of Eastside
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Church Council of Greater Seattle

We thank all of these organizations for their support and partnership in helping us ensure that no one falls through the social safety net during this unprecedented time.

Announcements

Jawahara Café Offering Takeout Service: Starting April 14, curbside pickup will be available from Jawhara Café serving the usual menu items. Hours are 11:30 AM to 3 PM daily, and 1 hour before Iftar during Ramadan. Call (425) 516-3098 to place your order. Note : Pickup is from the outside door behind the restaurant, as the main MAPS door will be closed. Please put your payment (cash or check) in an envelope, and be sure to have it ready when you pick up your order. We thank you for supporting our local business.

Launch of New MAPS Website: Last week, we announced the launch of our new website . We welcome your feedback and input on our new website, which you can visit here .

MAPS in Media
MAPS was featured in the following media coverage (in addition to those listed in our March 23 update):

Seattle Times: Seattle’s religious communities find ways to celebrate holidays and grow amid social distancing, https://www.seattletimes.com/life/amid-coronavirus-outbreak-communities-of-faith-find-ways-to-celebrate-holidays-and-to-grow/

Geekwire: Can you find God in a Zoom call? Communities of faith get religion on tech in COVID-19 crisis, https://www.geekwire.com/2020/can-find-god-zoom-call-communities-faith-adjusting-realities-covid-19/

KOMO: Renton church housing homeless people during COVID-19 pandemic, https://komonews.com/news/coronavirus/renton-church-housing-homeless-people-during-covid-19-pandemic

Federal Way Mirror: How are faith communities responding to the coronavirus pandemic?, https://www.federalwaymirror.com/northwest/how-are-faith-communities-responding-to-the-coronavirus-pandemic/

International Examiner: API Chaya’s Natural Helper Model: From local brilliance to national and international impacts, https://iexaminer.org/api-chayas-natural-helper-model-from-local-brilliance-to-national-and-international-impacts/

International Examiner: Building upon Foundations of Hope: A brief history of the Peaceful Families Taskforce, https://iexaminer.org/building-upon-foundations-of-hope-a-brief-history-of-the-peaceful-families-taskforce/

As a faith organization, MAPS is privileged to play a critical role in promoting spiritual development and upliftment, social cohesion and a sense of connectedness – all of which take on increased importance during a crisis. We are grateful for the dedication and boundless energy of our core team of staff and volunteers, without whom none of our important work would be possible. In the midst of difficulties during this trying time, individuals are coming together and stepping up, exemplifying our faith values. And we are happy to provide these updates on how we are mobilizing as a community.

As much as we are here to serve you, we count on you to be able to continue our programs and efforts. To date, we have collected $78,301 from your generous contributions. May Allah reward you abundantly for your kindness and generosity. Out of that, $76,877 has been disbursed already to help 153 families in need. We humbly ask that you continue to support us – with your time, energy and generous donations. As you can see, the need is great, and increasing.

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Please pray with us for relief for all who need relief and for our continued ability to serve those in need, as well as the elimination of this virus from the world.

For questions, comments, concerns or feedback, please email our MAPS COVID-19 Task Force at covid19@mapsredmond.org, or reach out to me directly.

Thank you,
Hyder Ali
President