Having a healthy meal without spending a lot of time in the kitchen is necessary for most families today.
LANSING, MI — Without a doubt Dua Aldasouqi said that her love of food came from her mother. She smiled and said, “She is an excellent cook and she instilled the love for food in all of us, even my brothers aren’t too shabby in the kitchen either.”
Her new book: “Feed Yourself – Feed the Hungry” is a fundraising project in which all profits will be donated to the Greater Lansing Food Bank. She stated the recipes in the cookbook are
generally American recipes.
“At home we kind of have a system: my mother cooks the Middle Eastern foods and I cook the American recipes – which are generally much faster to make. There are steak, pasta, and salad recipes for very American dishes.” said Aldasouqi.
She has been a resident of the Greater Lansing region for over 8 years and calls it home. She completed her B.S. in Dietetics at Michigan State University (MSU) and is now pursuing an M.A. in Health and Risk Communication at MSU.
More than 50 million Americans lived in food insecure households in 2011; that’s almost 1 in every 6 Americans. The US Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as having limited or uncertain access to adequate food.
Unfortunately, the Greater Lansing region is no stranger to hunger. An increasing number of residents are now in need of food assistance, many for the first time. The Greater Lansing Food Bank serves those in need of food assistance. Of those served: 28% are children under 18 years, 24% had to choose between food and paying for utilities, and 32% had to choose between food and medicine or medical bills. Aldasouqi has decided to join the cause.
When asked why hunger, she responded with: “There are so many wars occurring worldwide that oftentimes it’s hard to focus on the wars and problems that are closer to home, JFK was quoted to say: “The war against hunger is mankind’s greatest liberation.” I may not be able to end other wars but I can certainly help in ending this one.”
Aldasouqi hopes to raise $10,000 for the Greater Lansing Food Bank through selling 500 copies of her book as well as other various fundraisers surrounding “Feed Yourself – Feed the Hungry”, including the launch event at the Islamic Center on Wednesday, November 14, 2012 from 7:30 pm – 9 pm at the Greater Lansing Islamic Center Gym located at 920 S. Harrison, East Lansing, MI.
If you would like more information about this topic with Aldasouqi or to purchase one of her cookbooks, please call her at 517- 918-6350 or email at daldasouqi@gmail.com.
This was printed in the November 4, 2012 – November 17, 2012 Edition
