Carma Hassan | June 16, 2010 | 9:43 AM


Halal Meals on Wheels: Soup Kitchen Goes Mobile
Mercy on Wheels
"God requires us to feed the hungry"

Carma Hassan is a broadcast journalist in the Bay Area who whole-heartedly believes in wishing on dandelions.


Lots of food trucks pepper city streets around the Bay Area, but there's only one bringing fresh, hot meals to the hungry.

A new program initiated by the Bay Area chapter of the Islamic Circle of North America, or ICNA, debuted its yellow "Mercy on Wheels" truck today. The converted and retrofitted DHL delivery truck will trek across the Bay to San Francisco and Oakland where the religious group plans on serving almost 400 halal meals every month. The steaming plates of curried chicken, rice, and mixed vegetables are donated by Santa Clara's Crescent Circle and the Shalimar restaurant chain with food costing the program about $45,000 a year. The truck, which cost ICNA $35,000 is the first in a fleet they hope to expand; the group purchased another truck but lack the funds they to retrofit it.

The Silicon Valley based-Muslim organization currently dishes up meals in three spots once a month - 32nd Street and San Pablo in Oakland, at the United Nations Plaza in San Francisco, and at a mosque about two blocks away from the Plaza.

ICNA serves anyone ing a free meal, whether they are Muslim or not.

"We started sharing food during a time of sacrifice and feast," said Ameen Ashraf, vice president of ICNA. "Doing it once a year was good, but we thought we should be sharing food more often. It's our faith. God requires us to feed the hungry."

For more information, you can find ICNA's Mercy on Wheels program online at . Checks can be mailed to ICNA, P.O. Box 1112, Santa Clara, CA 95051.