Thousands of meals packed in memory of Chapel Hill students
CARY, N.C. (WNCN) – For the ninth year, one local organization is remembering a tragedy by doing some good.
Boxes of cereal, snacks, and food are all going to families in need.
On a sunny, but cold Saturday, dozens of people packaged food for the Ninth Annual Interfaith Food Drive, sponsored by The Lighthouse Project.
They do it each year to remember a young man, his wife, and her sister, who were shot and killed in 2015.
“There were three young Muslim college students Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha, who were murdered in their home in Chapel Hill,” said Nadia Khan, the Executive Director of The Lighthouse Project.
The students’ neighbor, Craig Hicks, was sentenced to life in prison for their murders.
“We consider it a hate crime because they were murdered for basically who they were. They were visibly Muslim,” said Khan. “We want to create positivity after such a tragedy.”
All of the food collected goes to the food bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.
Since the event began, the group has collected 373,000 meals to give to the community.
Organizers told CBS 17 they can’t imagine any other way to honor their memory.
“They were known for their service in the community. They would go out and feed the homeless,” said Khan. “We’re honored to create such a positive impact in our community. We want people to know this is important to us. We do it every year, rain or shine, cold or warm. It’s a great event to bring the community together.”
Their goal this year is to surpass donating 400,000 meals.
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