Excerpt:
For Cherif Ndaw, the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, or festival of sacrifice, involves sharing the meat of a sacrificial lamb with his family. This year, he couldn't afford it.
But with the help of the city's newest food pantry Ndaw was able to observe the holiday with the traditional meal — and adhere to the strictures of Islam by insuring the food was halal. That means it's free from pork and alcohol and that the animal was slaughtered under specific guidelines.
"When I get this food it makes me very, very happy because my family, my kids and my wife, everybody can eat," said Ndaw, 57, who is originally from Senegal and has lived in Memphis for 12 years. "It was a good holiday for us. When I get that food from the masjid, I give thanks to God. If I don't have it that day, I would not eat."