Meet the junior who is feeding the homeless using your unused meal swipes

Not everyone needs a reason to give back to the community. That’s what one junior at the University of Miami believes; he’s started a community service initiative that helps to feed those in need without anyone spending a dime out of pocket.

Just Cause It’s Sunday is a service project started by Billah Abdul-Jalaal, who collects meals at the end of each week from students with unused dining hall meal swipes and delivers them throughout Miami to the less fortunate. With over a thousand meals being wasted each week, he was able to find a creative way to waste less while at the same time giving back to the community.

“Why not come up with a way to use the money we’re already spending to benefit others,” says Billah.

Billah poses with Tony, a recipient of his meals that he’s gotten to know well over the past weeks

The Psychology major has a network of over 50 students that regularly bring him take-out meals from the dining hall; he delivers over 100 meals to the less fortunate every Sunday night.

“I started out with just six people, just friends that I knew giving me meals, and every week I get more and more people.”

Now into the 19th week since Just Cause It’s Sunday started, Billah has made a real impact on the community. “I know quite a few of them well,” Billah says, as a result of his regular visits.

One of his closer acquaintances, Tony, really appreciates the work Billah is doing: “He’s been very good to us. He brings good conversation, he always comes to us with a smile. I pray for him and want him to go far in life. He’s just a wonderful young man.”

I was lucky enough to be able to see Billah’s generosity first hand.

Tab reporters give back to the community too!

Billah let me accompany him on one of his trips, so out we rode into the chilly Miami night. My first impression came when we arrived in Downtown Miami, the streets apparently lifeless on that Sunday evening, only a group of four men in sleeping bags huddled together. As we rode up, the men, recognizing Billah’s car, turned over in anticipation. We got out, handed them a meal each, and they all thanked us with indescribable sincerity.

Clearly his charity is recognized and respected, as we learned during an encounter with a pair of disgruntled police officers. With no parking spots near the group of homeless people at our third stop, Billah left his car at a gas station. Immediately a patrol car rode up, and started giving us a hard time for the parking violation. As soon as they learned our cause, however, they apologized and backed away with a kind of silent reverence.

We weren’t the only ones doing charity work that night. Some may not believe it, but it does in fact get cold in Miami, and one couple took it upon themselves to comfort the homeless this winter by bringing around hot chocolate.

“I do it for my heart,” said Nilda, who says she benefits from her charity as much as the recipients of her cocoa do. “It’s cold out here,” added Luis. “We do it because we love to help.”

Seeing such genuine kindness first hand was a remarkable experience. I had always been in favor of helping the needy, but there is nothing so compelling as to see, with your own eyes, how the faces of those you are helping light up, their eyes seemingly illuminating with hope.

As a result of my experience I have ultimately adopted the same mentality as Billah has, and as I think everyone should: “I’m just going to try to help out in any way I can.”