London, Ont. Families host 'Pancakes For Peace' to support Afzaal Family
Three families from the Deer Ridge neighbourhood in West London, Ont. hosted a pancake breakfast Saturday to start conversations about breaking down barriers in their community.
13 days after a fatal crash took the life of four members of the Afzaal family, the neighbours organized a fundraiser this week which quickly snowballed into a larger event which saw more than 200 people attend.
Marta Vallares (L) and Sam Fakih (R) cook up some pancakes at ‘Pancakes For Peace’, June 19, 2021 (Brent Lale/CTV News)
"It was just the need for us to come together as a community, get to know one another learn about one another and meet our neighbors just build a stronger, more resilient community," says Jennifer Spinney, one of the organizers who hosted the event in her backyard less than 2 km from the site where the Afzaal family was killed.
"Several members in our community, part of the Muslim community and friends with the family who were affected," says Spinney.
Muslim's in attendance Saturday say the outpouring of support from Londoners has been 'unbelievable' over the past two weeks.
''It is still raw, we are still a little nervous and we're still scared," says Gennan Fakih, a muslim woman, and co-organizer.
"Our children are worried but I think seeing everybody come together has really empowered them and they're feeling the love," says Fakih.
"They want to support the community as much they can of just bring everyone together. They need to know they have a voice, and that they're loved, and that the community is behind you".
One of those children is 12-year-old Jianna Ibrahim.
"I obviously want everyone here to just be treated like they're just people and I want everybody to be treated equally," says Ibrahim.
"We all have our differences, but that's what makes us special so I feel like we all just need to accept who we are and come together".
The organizers managed to get major corporations like McDonalds, Tim Hortons, Dollarama, Costco and the Real Canadian Superstore on board. Springbank Balloons and A&B Party Rental also contributed to make the breakfast possible.
Among the hundreds who came by was London West MPP Peggy Sattler.
Adam and Jianna Ibrahim pose with London West MPP Peggy Sattler at ‘Pancakes For Peace’ June 19, 2021
"There's so much work to do in order to deal with hate and Islamophobia and to heal and move forward together as a community," says Sattler.
"These kinds of events really show that Londoners want to embrace our Muslim family and they want to connect and and show that they care about what happened. The terror attack has forced a lot of people to start reflecting on their own biases and their own whispered judgments that may be made because of the way someone looks, dress, because of the food they eat or because of the faith that they practice".
Sattler hopes the tragedy touched a chord of common humanity that people didn't reflect on before, and think's it will spark a change to move beyond racism, hate, discrimination and Islamophobia.
"I'm hoping that it's the beginning of learning about one another," says Spinney.
"We have a space for people to write down some comments about maybe fears that they have about their neighbours, or perceptions about what they believe their neighbors think of them. I'm hoping to start a conversation about what our fears are, and then we can review those responses and explain those responses through cultural and religious differences."
Organizers accepted donations for pancakes, and the breakfast raised $1800. The money will be directed by the Afzaal family as they are no longer accepting money for themselves.
Anyone else who wishes to contribute can do so through the Launch Good Campaign which is endorsed by the Afzaal family, the London Muslim Mosque and the National Council of Canadian Muslims.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.