As the people of Turkey and Syria continue to sift through collapsed buildings and rubble to find lost family members, the Islamic community in Cambridge is gearing up to collect donations to send to the rescue efforts.
On Feb. 6, one of the most deadly earthquakes to hit the middle east in over 200 years shook the Turkish and Syrian border, collapsing hundreds of buildings and killing upwards of 12,000 people with the death toll expected to rise, according to Turkish and Syrian officials.
The Cambridge Islamic community is coming together to raise funds to send to relief efforts to help those in need.
The Cambridge Islamic Centre at 1550 Dunbar Rd. just announced their plan to raise money and help families affected by the disaster.
"We are going to start fundraising this Friday when we have our big gathering," said board member, Naseem Mian. "Whenever there is a disaster like this we always try to come together to help those affected."
Anyone from outside the Islamic community is more than welcome to donate, said Mian.
The Islamic centre prides itself on having a very diverse congregation and currently have members who are from both Turkey and Syria.
"We sponsor and helped many Syrian refugees when they came to Canada and who are still with us today," said Akhtar Malik, chairman for the Cambridge Islamic Center. "Those who may be directly affected by this will likely come forward after we announce our intention to help."
The Islamic centre will be collecting monetary donations that can be made to their office starting on Friday, Feb. 10. Items such as clothing, tents and first-aid products will not be accepted at this time.
The Mennonite Central Committee of Ontario will also be collecting donations on their website or donations can be dropped off at any of their thrift shops in the region and at their office at 50 Kent Avenue in Kitchener.
The federal government also plans to match donations up to $10 million.