In collaboration with the nonprofit Imperfect Village and Black Lives Matter-NJ, Moorestown’s United We Serve will collect winter clothing for adults and children at Cambridge Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center on Sunday.
Residents can donate coats, hats, gloves and scarves for adults and children in all sizes, as well as gift cards, toys and food. After helping with food drives by their mom Saima, Moorestown resident Ibraheem Bhutta, a founder of United We Serve, and his brother Farzan were inspired to start a nonprofit that helps minorities and communities struggling with food insecurity.
United We Serve came to fruition at the start of the pandemic, when Bhutta and his family stepped up to help others in Moorestown and surrounding communities.
“During that time, we collaborated with restaurants and people within the community to organize grab n’ go events and distribute PPEs to people that didn’t have any and to people that were food insecure,” Ibraheem Bhutta said.
“That’s really where the motivation for United We Serve came (from), and that was really the beginning of it.”
Bhutta loves to see United We Serve work with other organizations and hopes the nonprofit will inspire the community to help others.
“It’s that fundamental interest in giving to others,” he noted. “That’s what really drives our motivation. It’s collaborating with other organizations to distribute food and necessities, and we would love to see it grow.”
“We would like to inspire others to give to the needy and the underserved,” Bhutta added. “There’s many people in Moorestown and New Jersey … minorities that don’t have access to food, that are food insecure, and so we would love to motivate others to give.”
United We Serve plans to open a soup kitchen with its sister organization in North Jersey, American Muslims for Hunger Relief, and work with different churches, synagogues and mosques around Moorestown.
Bhutta looks forward to seeing his friends, family and neighbors help those in need this holiday season.
“I’d love for them to come out and show their support and give to the community, give to those who are underserved,” he said. “We would love to collaborate with others in the future as well.”
