Philanthropy | Tariq Farid - Founder of Edible Arrangements ® and Entrepreneur

In keeping with the mission of the Tariq Farid Foundation to alleviate suffering by providing for the basic needs of food and healthcare, and to improve lives through the support of education and skill development opportunities that enable individuals to reach their full potential, I am pleased to announce our support of four additional organizations.

Tommy Fund is an organization that helps low-income families with children who have cancer.
Wallingford-Meriden Chrysalis is a shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic abuse.
Umbrella Center for Domestic Violence is a shelter that provides services to over 7,000 victims of domestic violence and their children each year throughout the Greater New Haven, Greater Naugatuck Valley, and Shoreline communities.
Bloom Again Foundation is an organization that provides help and resources for low-income women with serious medical illnesses.

I am truly grateful that we are able to help these very worthwhile organizations.

As I have written before, one of the pleasures of realizing the American Dream is that it creates opportunities to share that success with others, especially those who may not be as fortunate. I hope you will join us in supporting worthwhile organizations in your area.

Following is a current list of organizations supported by the Tariq Farid Foundation and the Farid Foundation, with links to each if you would like to learn more.

TARIQ FARID FOUNDATION

Bloom Again Foundation (California) – provides financial support for low-income working women who are facing serious illness.
Community Soup Kitchen (New Haven, CT) – soup kitchen.
Fresh Air Fund – at-risk youth summer camp.
Hands on Hartford, Manna Food Pantry (Hartford, CT) –food pantry.
House of Bread (Hartford, CT) – soup kitchen.
Hubcap Wallingford (Wallingford, CT) – co-working space, business incubator.
Master’s MANNA (Wallingford, CT) – soup kitchen, food pantry, free medical services and more.
Meriden Soup Kitchen (Meriden, CT) – soup kitchen.
Meriden-Wallingford Chrysalis – women’s shelter.
St. Vincent de Paul (Middletown, CT) – soup kitchen.
Integrated Immigrant and Refugee Services (IRIS) (New Haven, CT) – resettlement, cultural and social acclimation services for newly arrived refugees.
Salma K Farid Academy (Hamden, CT) – Islamic elementary school, day care and community center.
Salma Khatoon Hospital – provides free healthcare for 33,000 people annually.
Solar Youth (New Haven, CT) – at-risk youth programming.
Tommy Fund for Childhood Cancer (New Haven, CT) – provides financial support to lower income families of children newly diagnosed with cancer.
Umbrella Center for Domestic Violence Services
United Moslem Mosque (Waterbury, CT) – Muslim house of worship and food pantry.
West Haven Community House (West Haven, CT) – sponsorship of annual walk and health fair.
Youth @ Work (New Haven, CT) – youth employment program.
YMCA Wallingford (Wallingford, CT) – financial assistance fund.

FARID FOUNDATION DONATIONS

2013

Aid to individuals in Connecticut and throughout the United States in need of financial assistance.
American Legion Auxiliary #45 (Meriden, CT)
Connecticut Burns Care Foundation (Milford, CT)
Family Services of Waterbury (Waterbury, CT) – aid for abused women and children.
Integrated Immigrant and Refugee Services (IRIS) (New Haven, CT) – resettlement, cultural and social acclimation services for newly arrived refugees.
Masjid Al-Islam, (New Haven, CT) – Muslim House of Worship.
Salma K Farid Academy (Hamden, CT) – Islamic school, daycare and community center.
Salma Khatoon Hospital (Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan) Provides free healthcare for 33,000 people annually.
United Moslem Mosque (Waterbury, CT), Muslim House of Worship and Food Pantry.

2012

Aid to individuals in Connecticut and throughout the United States in need of financial assistance.
Alex Rolon Cancer Fund (Connecticut), donation to a local family whose child had cancer.
Catholic Relief Services (Baltimore, Maryland)– Haiti earthquake relief.
Cheshire Academy (Cheshire, CT) – education.
Columbus House (New Haven, CT) – Homeless shelter and services for the homeless.
Connecticut Burn Care Foundation (Milford, CT) – support for burn unit in Bridgeport Hospital.
Connecticut Hospice
C.R.E.W Relief to Rebuild Alabama – community revitalization efforts in Alabama, a project of Lyman Hall High School in Wallingford, CT.
Family Services Of Waterbury (Waterbury, CT) – Aid for abused women and children.
http://www.imancentral.org/ – donation for a health fair which includes encouraging healthy eating habits among youth and to provide low-income youth backpacks for the upcoming school year.
Integrated Immigrant and Refugee Services (IRIS) (New Haven, CT) – resettlement, cultural and social acclimation services for newly arrived refugees.
Islamic Association of Southern CT – Islamic community based organization.
Islamic Center of Wallingford (Wallingford, CT) – Muslim house of worship.
Masjid Al-Islam (New Haven, CT) – Muslim house of worship.
Medina Academy (Windsor, CT) – private elementary, middle and high school.
Meriden Soup Kitchen (Meriden, CT) – soup kitchen
Milford Youth & Family Services (Milford, CT)
Miss Connecticut scholarship fund
Norton Elementary School (Cheshire, CT) – elementary school.
Orange Visiting Nurses Association (Orange, CT)
St. Baldrick’s Foundation – California-based organization fighting childhood cancer.
Salma K Farid Academy (Hamden, CT), Islamic elementary school, day care and community center.
Salma Khatoon Hospital (Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan) – provides free healthcare for 33,000 people annually.
United For Change (New York, NY) – poverty relief.
USPAK (Ellicott City, MD) – youth leadership organization.
Yale University, School of Medicine, Pediatrics (New Haven, CT) – childhood cancer research.
Zaytuna College (Berkeley, CA) – tuition assistance for needy students.

2011

Aid to individuals, in Connecticut and throughout the United States, in need of financial assistance.
Columbus House (New Haven, CT) – Homeless shelter and services for the homeless.
Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (New Haven, CT) –soup kitchen
Get Inspired, Inc. – California-based arts and sciences program.
ICNA Relief USA – New York City organization supporting shelters for abused women.
Inner-City Muslim Action Network (Chicago, IL.) – donation for a health fair which includes encouraging healthy eating habits among youth and to provide low-income youth backpacks for the upcoming school year.
Islamic Center of Wallingford (Wallingford, CT) – Muslim house of worship.
Meriden Soup Kitchen (Meriden, CT) – soup kitchen
Muslim Coalition of Connecticut (West Hartford, CT) – promotes social responsibility through educational and outreach activities.
Oman Charitable Organization (Oman) – Somalia Relief Fund.
Salma K Farid Academy (Hamden, CT) – Islamic school, daycare and community center
Salma Khatoon Hospital (Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan) Provides free healthcare for 33,000 people annually.

2010

M.J. Petretto Foundation (Wallingford, CT) – support for Gaylord Hospital Traumatic Brain Injury Unit.
USA Edhi Intn’l Foundation (Pakistan) – social services such as medical, child welfare, abused women safe houses, and other services.

EDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS / EDIBLE CARES

American Red Cross
Breast Cancer Society of Canada
International Franchise Association (Washington, DC) – support for advances in technology in franchising.
Multiple Sclerosis Society.
National Breast Cancer Foundation (US)
VetFran (Washington, DC)- business education and support for veterans.

For more about the Farid Foundation, I invite you to visit www.FaridFoundation.com.

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The new website for the Tariq Farid Foundation is now online at http://tariqfaridfoundation.org.

The website offers more information on my new philanthropic, non-profit corporation whose mission is to alleviate suffering by providing for the basic needs of food and healthcare, and to improve lives through the support of education and skill development opportunities that enable individuals to reach their full potential.

Already we have been able to help worthwhile organizations such as Youth at Work, IRIS, Fresh Air Fund, Hands On Hartford, Meriden Soup Kitchen, Salma K Farid Academy, Salma Khatoon Hospital, Solar Youth and the St. Vincent de Paul Middletown . And our work has only just begun.

I welcome you to visit http://tariqfaridfoundation.org to find out more about our mission and the many worthwhile organizations we are supporting.

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Over the years I am constantly amazed at the number of organizations and dedicated individuals who are working on a daily basis to help others. Often these organizations are right in our own backyard.

I had the opportunity to visit with two such organizations recently, and came away more convinced than ever that the need is great, and so is the importance of supporting those who are meeting that need.

The first was Master’s Manna, a local food pantry by first glance, but in reality so much more. I was given a tour by Executive Director Cheryl Trzcinski, and I was stunned at what they are able to accomplish with a limited staff and how they have so many engaged volunteers.

Edible Arrangements has provided fresh fruit to the organization in the past, but I had no idea about the full range of services until I took the tour.

The place was a beehive of activity while we were there: families were shopping for food at the food pantry, others were eating in the Family Dining Center, clothing was being sorted and hung by volunteers, two students from the Summer Youth Employment Program were in orientation, the Community Health Center was in operation providing primary health care to anyone who needed it, and much, much more.

Cheryl said it was just a “typical day.”

We are fortunate to have people such as Cheryl and her team at Master’s Manna in our community.

I also had the pleasure of meeting recently with several founders of HUBCAP Wallingford, a small business incubator that works with our local school system to provide students with mentoring opportunities with local businesses.

After touring HUBCAP and hearing what its founders are trying to accomplish, I knew I had to help. Their mission reminded me of my own experience of working at a flower shop while in elementary school and being encouraged and inspired by the owner. I have been blessed to meet so many people over the years that gave me kind words of advice, and here is an organization doing the same.

When I created the Tariq Farid Foundation it was exactly these types of organizations that I was hoping to be able to support, and I was honored to be able to do so.

The passion of the individuals involved with these two organizations and the work they do is truly inspirational. I know that in every community across America there are similar organizations and individuals doing their part to build a stronger community, and I encourage you to seek them out and offer your support.

Sadly, there will always be a need, but fortunately there are those who are ready and willing to help. As leaders of our community, it is our responsibility to make sure they have the resources they need to fulfill their mission.

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I am excited to announce the launch of a new website for the Tariq Farid Foundation. To learn more about our work, please click here to visit The Tariq Farid Foundation.

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Since my family immigrated to the United States when I was just a child, I have had the opportunity to experience first-hand the many benefits and blessings this great country has to offer. And as I have written many times, I strongly believe that with success comes responsibility.

As a proud American and a living example that the American Dream is alive and well, there is no greater feeling for me than knowing that I am now able to help others who are less fortunate as they strive to achieve their dreams.

That is why I have created the Tariq Farid Foundation, a philanthropic, non-profit corporation providing support for worthwhile causes in the US and throughout the world.

The mission of the Tariq Farid Foundation is to alleviate suffering by providing for the basic needs of food and healthcare, and to improve lives through the support of education and skill development opportunities that enable individuals to reach their full potential.

We work toward our mission by supporting initiatives and organizations that:

Feed the hungry and increase access to healthy foods.
Provide healthcare services to those in need.
Provide educational and job training opportunities.
Improve the lives of women and children.

Already, I feel we are making a difference.

Earlier this month the Foundation provided a grant to the Youth@Work program of New Haven that will help create at least 30 summer jobs for area youth.

Late last week, the Foundation made a donation to the New Haven Register Fresh Air Fund, which will help send children to summer camp that would not otherwise be able to afford to attend.

We have also made several donations to food pantries and soup kitchens across Connecticut as well as to organizations that will provide youth with skill development opportunities this summer.

And this is just the start.

When my family moved to the United States, we had very little financial wealth, but we had hope — hope that we would be able to build a better life for ourselves. I can think of no greater tragedy than to be trapped in a situation in which all hope has disappeared. Yet in my travels around the world, I have seen first-hand that there are many men, women and children in such situations, with little or no hope that tomorrow will be any better than today.

My vision for the Tariq Farid Foundation is that we will be able to provide hope for a better future to those who need it most. And I hope that others will share my enthusiasm for helping those in need whenever and wherever possible.

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On Thursday I was reminded once again of the importance of opportunity.

The Youth Services Department of New Haven has a terrific program called Youth@Work that provides paid summer employment and job experience for youths between the ages of 14 and 17.

At its peak, the program has provided summer jobs for up to 1,200 youth. Due to cuts in public funding, however, less than 500 jobs were going to be available this summer. That’s why there was no question that I would help when I learned of the program’s need.

These are the type of programs that remind of the great people and organizations that ultimately influenced me. When I was growing up in the New Haven area, my family did not have much. Even as a child, I was always working.

My first job was with Farricielli Flower in West Haven, and my First boss was Charlie Farricielli, one of the hardest working people I have ever met. He was also my first mentor. And while the money was important to my family as we struggled to make ends meet, I realize now how much I learned from those experiences.

It is important that today’s youth have the same opportunities to be exposed to other people and ideas so they can see there’s a big world out there and can understand that they do have options. That is why it was such an honor to be able to help continue the tradition of inspiring others and to help our youth get real-world, hands-on experience.

As I said yesterday during a press conference announcing the Tariq Farid Foundation’s commitment to charity, making money is important, but what’s really important is what you do with it.

Also see the FOXCT News Broadcast Below …

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Category: Philanthropy

Tariq Farid Foundation expands support to four new organizations

Tariq Farid Foundation website launched

Where there is need, there are those willing to help

The Tariq Farid Foundation — hope for a better future

That is why I have created the Tariq Farid Foundation, a philanthropic, non-profit corporation providing support for worthwhile causes in the US and throughout the world.

There is no substitute for opportunity