CARY, N.C. — The Light House Project, a local nonprofit, honored three Muslim-American college students killed in 2015 in Chapel Hill on Saturday.
Deah Barakat, his wife, Yusor Abu-Salha, and Razan Abu-Salha were shot to death. Their killer, Craig Hicks, was sentenced to life in prison in 2019.
Outreach coordinator for The Light House Project, Shadi Sadi, organized the ninth annual Feed Their Legacy food drive to honor the victims.
Sadi said the organization puts on a food drive because the family loved giving back to the community.
“They had given out 75 free meals to the homeless in downtown Durham,” Sadi said.
The food drive garnered close to 100 volunteers this year with donations coming in from all over the area.
Sadi said it feels good that nine years later people of all ages want to lend a helping hand.
“It shows how strong people’s faith is, and I think it’s also a testament to people of North Carolina,” Sadi said.
Over the last eight years the organization has raised close to 350,000 meals for eastern and central North Carolina. This year it hopes to raise 400,000 meals.
Sadi said although Saturday’s food drive is dedicated to the victims, it’s also an effort to combat food insecurity in different regions of the state.
“There are fellow Carolinians, some don’t have enough to put food on the table. Some are deciding whether they are going to make rent or grab a meal for their family,” he said.
The food drive was the largest third-party food drive for Food Bank of Eastern and Central North Carolina.
Sadi said although the three college students are no longer with us, it’s all thanks to them that the organization’s effort are not going unnoticed.
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The virtual food drive will continue for the next couple of weeks.