As founder and President of Love With Humanity, Syed Hassan has his hands in many projects. The nonprofit organization helps members of its community. Various grassroots projects offer aid, resources, companionship and more to immigrants, the homeless, the elderly, and other groups in need in Calgary.
Founded in 2018, Love With Humanity faced many new challenges in this last year. But Hassan took these challenges as opportunities. Rather than scaling back their events and projects due to growing restrictions, Love For Humanity expanded to help the most at-risk groups, including the sick and elderly, to obtain food and care during the pandemic.
Syed Hassan launched free Multicultural libraries
Even before founding Love With Humanity, Hassan already had experience with grassroots projects. His first volunteer project began in his native Karachi, Pakistan. “Karachi is very hot in the summer,” Hassan explains. “So I wanted to do something about the availability of drinking water, especially at public bus stops. I remember that our initiative was highly appreciated and this motivated us to do more, so we extended our activities to include more bus stops.”
But Love With Humanity was also not Hassan’s first community project in Canada. After immigrating to Calgary from Pakistan, he created a local, multicultural “free library”. At first, this little library simply offered a small selection of books and resources geared towards different cultures and available in various languages. It also created a place for members of the community to gather.
Soon however, the small library caught on. “Eventually, we received direct requests from other towns and cites in Canada for similar facilities,” Hassan says. “Our Multicutural outdoor libraries became more sophisticated, and we fabricated a special design for the little libraries which we then installed as gifts to the communities. Now we have 14 libraries in various cites and towns to help our new immigrants and seniors.”
Personal experience drove early volunteer projects
Hassan grew up in Karachi, Pakistan. He began giving back to his community while there. When he immigrated with his family to Canada in 2009, he continued the tradition.
“Here, we upgraded our skills and education,” Hassan says. “But we also faced some challenges as new immigrants. We decided that we wanted to help others who might be in the same situation.”
Initiatives like the free multicultural community libraries now scattered throughout Canada, and Love With Humanity, gave Hassan a way to do just that.
Love With Humanity helps many different members of the community
Since its founding in 2018, Love With Humanity has expanded to include many projects in many communities. These include Christmas celebrations with senior citizens, clothing and food drives for the homeless, road and park clean-up, orientation and resources for immigrants, and more.
In the last year, the nonprofit has also focused on coronavirus aid. At the start of the pandemic, they put together contactless food drives, as well as took on more volunteers to deliver food and necessities to the sick and elderly, who had higher risks of complications from the disease.
The motto of their free coronavirus food campaign is “Take a Blessing/Leave a Blessing”. It runs on donations and volunteers in the community, who have rallied to meet the growing needs of the area.
“This is the time help our fellow Canadians,” Hassan says. “And not to forget our loved ones at this difficult time. As Canadians, it’s our duty to “look out” for each other.”
Learn more on Love With Humanity’s Facebook page to see how you can help.
