A community-focused team has shown what can be achieved by pulling together to support those in need
A group of volunteers called the Bearded Broz have banded together to work on community projects across the West Midlands, to, in their words, “serve humanity”.
The team initially came together on 14 June 2017, following the news and impact of the Grenfell Tower fire in London, with the aim of supporting those in need. Within eight hours of the news breaking, the group had an eight-man team and a van-load of food and supplies to donate to residents in the area.
One of the Bearded Broz founders, Imran Hameed, originally set up the Salma Food Bank in June 2016, in memory of his late mother Salma Parveen. His vision was to offer food directly to those in need, at no charge, thanks to donations and volunteers.
From working in association with the Salma Food Bank, Bearded Broz has so far fed more than 10,000 families and people across the West Midlands. Imran says: “When people connect and work together, we build stronger communities. These communities then prosper, making better areas for us all.”
They have continued their work by creating short documentaries covering community issues to raise awareness, and helped local organisations to collect an estimated 100 tonnes of rubbish during the West Midlands bin strikes in 2017.
Imran notes: “The feeling of happiness to see someone not go without food is our proudest moment to date. And we try to achieve that every day.”
The group also note that having a beard is not a requirement to join...
Find out more, and how you can volunteer, by visiting beardedbroz.com
