Refugee gives back with Harvest’s help

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This article was published 23/05/2017 (2528 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nearly two years after arriving in Canada following a perilous dip in the Red River, an aid worker forced to flee Somalia is working to raise money this Friday for Winnipeg Harvest.

Yahya Samatar is promoting the fundraising Fast and Furious Feast.

“I feel so happy because this program is all about Winnipeg Harvest,” said Samatar, who has volunteered at the food bank.

Samatar is a full-time fundraising consultant with the Creaddo Group — a Winnipeg fundraising agency — and volunteers with Welcome Place, helping newcomers and refugee claimants. On his lunch hour Wednesday, he was busy helping a newcomer fill out immigration forms at Portage Place.

Friday’s feast runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Those who can’t attend can donate tickets for refugees and refugee claimants to use to enjoy a restaurant meal while getting to know Winnipeg.

“It’s an opportunity for new people who’ve come here to go out for dinner and be part of the community,” Samatar said.

Last year, more than 600 people took part in the feast, which raised more than $15,000. Samatar said he knows what it’s like to be a refugee claimant, in limbo and without a permanent safe place to call home. And he knows the desperation that drove hundreds of people this past winter to risk life and limb walking through frozen farm fields from the U.S. into Canada.

“It’s a terrifying, sad situation,” said Samatar. He nearly drowned after entering the mighty Red in August 2015, thinking that if he crossed it he would be in Canada.

“You only know that you can see hope on the other side,” he said. “That is what drives you to do everything.”

Winnipeg’s Fast and Furious Feast is being held for the fourth time on the eve of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month that includes fasting during daylight hours. It’s part of Give 30, a national grassroots campaign that calls on people to support their local food bank “in the spirit of compassion, community and social solidarity during Ramadan.”

Tickets for the feast are $25 and available online at winnipegharvest.org or at the door. It’s happening at Shawarma Khan at 225 McDermot Ave., in the Exchange District.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca