Embassy Events
U.S. Embassy Community Contributes to Local Soup Kitchen in Honor of Final Ramadan Iftar
September 29, 2009
In direct response to President Obama’s 9/11 call to service on September 18, Ambassador Charles L. English and DCM Jonathan M. Moore, and the entire Embassy community, Americans, Bosnians and Herzegovinians alike, joined together to collect and deliver fresh vegetables, frozen meat, canned vegetables and fruit, as well as coffee, sugar, and cooking oil to a Sarajevo soup kitchen. Located in the heart of the old section of the city, the Stari Grad kitchen feeds members of all ethnic communities in BiH. It serves 1200 daily meals throughout the year, except during Ramadan when it serves 1600 meals per day, including 400 Iftars. The Embassy organized this food drive in honor of the last Iftar of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and a traditional time of giving to the poor. At the soup kitchen, representatives of the Embassy met with the kitchen director, Ms. Seta Zilha, popularly known as “Aunt Zilha” and famous for her commitment to the poor.
According to Aunt Zilha, this gesture meant a great deal to the beneficiaries of the soup kitchen. She noted that thanks to the generous donation of the U.S. Embassy family the beneficiaries were served high quality, fresh food that they normally do not receive.