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A CNY Organization Feeds Those Affected By The Pandemic A CNY Organization Feeds Those Affected By The Pandemic

We Rise Above The Streets makes meals for the homeless and others in need.

By Pa Zong Lee

PA-ZONG LEE: A Syracuse organization packed around 250 sandwiches with snacks in less than two hours today. We Rise Above The Streets usually hosts Sandwich Saturdays to give out food for the homeless.
Founder, Al-amin Muhamed, will start passing out food tomorrow until Saturday. Muhamed says the pandemic shifted their focus from helping the homeless to helping everyone.

AL-AMIN MUHAMED: When COVID first started, it was people that… who been working their jobs for 30 some years, they ain’t know nothing about poverty, they ain’t know nothing about umm… struggling, so they was blessed to know me and feel comfortable to come and get food and ask for items for their family.

LEE: Muhamed is joined by volunteers who are attendees for an event tonight with national activist and speaker, Derrick Broze. Michele Piotti explains why helping to pack food today is important.

MICHELE PIOTTI: This is a stipulation, he likes for uhh… the people he comes to talk with to give back to the communities where he is coming to speak.

LEE: This group brought back the in-person packing today when Muhamed originally planned to start in November.

MUHAMED: Dave came to me and told me they wanted to bring a group of people to uhh… get involved in umm… in volunteering, and I said hey just come to the office and we’ll make sack lunches, so today it really broke the ice to starting sandwich Saturday.

LEE: Tomorrow, Muhamed will unload this truck full of sandwiches to be passed out for those in need at Billings Park… in Syracuse, Pa-Zong Lee, NCC News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Since the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the first time that Al-amin Muhamed has brought a group together to make sandwiches for those in need. 15 people came together with Muhamed to help feed the homeless and those affected by the pandemic.

Muhamed is the founder of We Rise Above The Streets, a Syracuse organization that was initially made to support and feed the homeless. After the pandemic caused many people to go hungry, Muhamed expanded the mission. A sense of love and community was lost during the beginnings of the pandemic, but Muhamed brought it back with a push from Central New York volunteers.

People far and wide from Ithaca to Buffalo came to Syracuse to pack around 250 sandwiches. Muhamed will deliver the sandwich bags throughout the week until Sandwich Saturday, the original event.

The volunteers came to Syracuse for an event within the Activation Tour, a speaking tour from national activist, Derrick Broze. The attendees from each city on the tour are encouraged to complete service within that community; this adds to Broze’s mission. Michele Piotti, one of the volunteers, stressed the importance of service within one’s community.

“As a teacher, I put effort into tying communities with schools together,” said Piotti.

The poverty rate of Syracuse citizens from 2019 was at 31%, according to the US Census Bureau. There are currently 618 homeless individuals, either sheltered or unsheltered, in the Onondaga, Oswego and Cayuga Counties, according to the Housing and Homeless Coalition of Central New York.

We Rise Above The Streets is just one factor that helps those who fall within these statistics.

“When it was like 300 to 400 people there, we made like over 1200 sandwiches a week… so 15 people making 250 sandwiches, this is amazing,” Muhamed said.

Muhamed left the volunteers with a message that came from his heart and his own backstory as he, himself, used to be homeless.

“Evaluate your heart… you just did something for someone who hasn’t ate for several weeks… when you leave here, don’t stop, continue to give back,” said Muhamed.

The organization is planning for a winter clothing drive and is accepting everything from warm jackets and gloves to hygienic products. After contacting Muhamed, items can be dropped off at the office on 404 Oak St., Suite 111 Syracuse, NY 13203.

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