Dublin teen launches food drive serving tens of thousands of meals
When 13-year-old Zayan Kajani sets his mind to something, the young man from Dublin makes it happen. Lately, his mind has been on helping others.
"Doing good feels good," he said.
Kajani volunteers in a variety of ways with the Muslim Community Center – East Bay (MCC). That frequently involves lending a helping hand with providing clothing and food to those in need in the Tri-Valley at the MCC's so-called "refugee bazaar."
The 13-year-old truly learned the power of giving back earlier this year.
"During the holy month of Ramadan, when me and Muslims around the world were fasting, I realized what hunger really feels like," he told CBS News Bay Area.
When he learned there are people in his community who are dealing with hunger on a daily basis, it really struck him.
"I was just surprised, really, to be real with you," he said. "I didn't really think anybody was very hungry in Dublin – you don't see people on the streets, you see people in nice homes, you know?"
So, he and his friends got together.
"We're like, why don't we do something about it?" he said.
Working in collaboration with the MCC and the Alameda County Community Food Bank (ACCFB), Kajani and his friends put together a food drive where they collected food from schools and others in the Tri-Valley area.
"We were able to raise a good amount of money and help a lot of people," he said.
They raised nearly $20,000 – and – enough food for around 40,000 meals for people in the community.
"You talk about it, you know what you want to do and you know you're helping people – but to kind of, see it first hand, really makes an impact," he said. "To see that impact fully fleshed out – it really made us feel like yeah, we did something pretty cool."
The ACCFB is operating at record levels right now. It provides up to 1,000,000 meals every week to people in the community.
This year, the ACCFB reports a 500,000 pound increase in food going to people in the Tri-Valley.
Sister Aminah Abdullah of the MCC says the need is "definitely there."
"This past Saturday, we started distributing food at 9:00 a.m., and we normally continue until 12:00 p.m. By 10:40 a.m., we had run out of produce," she told CBS News Bay Area. "Anyone can be food insecure. One job loss, one illness, one death in a family, can lead anyone to becoming food insecure."
When asked about Zayan, Abdullah couldn't help smiling from ear-to-ear.
"He is amazing, he and his friends are amazing," she said. "Even though you're young, you can have a huge impact. You can start changing the world."
As for Kajani, his selflessness comes from the heart and from a place of faith.
"I think the perception of Islam is slightly tainted in this society. Islam is truly about generosity, peace, and helping others. A huge part of Ramadan, to me at least, is about empathy," he said.
So whether it's food, clothing, or something else, Kajani has a message:
"Just, help people out when you can," he said.