Muslim and Catholic faiths come together during annual St. Vincent Place food drive (11 photos)

A Muslim Imam and Catholic priest mixed together like pasta and sauce at St. Vincent Place’s annual Big Blue Box Drive on Saturday.

Around 100 people, perhaps more, helped out at the food drive’s east-end drop-off location, St. Jerome Roman Catholic Church.

Amongst those volunteers was St. Jerome assistant pastor Father Daniele Muscolino and Sault Ste. Marie Mosque Imam Saber Alkilani, both working side-by-side, carrying and organizing collected food donations.

“I think, honestly, at first, if (Christians or Muslims) have never come together before, that, maybe there’s some apprehension there a little bit,” said Muscolino. “But, especially when they see the leader of the Muslim community and the leaders of the Catholic Church working together, it’s a great example for people to say, look, our leaders are working together, why can’t we work together? Especially on a project like this when helping the community at large.”

Both religious leaders are new to the Sault.

Muscolino, 32, just became an ordained Minister in 2016 and working as assistant pastor at St. Jerome’s is his first official clergy job, though he said his Italian background has really helped him integrate seamlessly in the Sault.

Alkalani has been an Imam since 1997 but came to Canada from Egypt last year and then moved from Toronto to the Sault to work at the mosque.

Alkalani has seen a big changes at the Sault mosque since around 30 families of refugees, mostly Syrian, started coming to the area a year ago.

In that time, the mosque has shifted from being mostly Algoma University students and staff to being 80-90 per cent Syrian.

The mosque has arguably become the most central social institution for these refugees.

The Sault Ste. Marie mosque shares a back parking lot with Precious Blood Cathedral and Alkalani said he takes every opportunity to socialize and work with other local religious leaders.

Both Alkalani and Muscolini said helping to feed the hungry is a common part of their faith.

“It’s very clear in the Qu’ran that almighty God taught us that we should feed the needy, said Alkalani. “The prophet Muhammed – peace be with him – taught us there were three ways that can get you directly to paradise: one of the ways of feeding people.”

The other two ways are through spreading peace and through prayer he said.

Muscolini spoke of the Gospel teachings of Jesus feeding the poor and being present for those in need.

St. Jerome’s became the east end hub for the annual food drive three years ago after a prayer group session led some parishioners to want to serve the community said Muscolini.

St. Vincent Place is a men's shelter, soup kitchen, food bank, and thrift store on Albert Street East in Sault Ste. Marie.

St. Vincent Place marketing co-ordinator Alexandra Benson said that on Saturday, just at St. Jerome’s, an estimated $15,000 in food donations was collected.

Benson said St. Vincent Place itself — the west end drop-off location — should collect a similar total but that it will only be known next week.

All collected food donations will be used at the St. Vincent Place soup kitchen and food bank said Benson.

According to statistics provided by Benson, in 2016 the St. Vincent soup kitchen served 9,035 meals to 3,667 people including 876 children.

As of Aug. 31, in 2017 the soup has served 6,980 meals to 2,983 people including 444 children.