David Young, PA
Volunteers at a food bank targeted in a racist arson attack have said they were overwhelmed after being handed a cheque for more than £70,000 raised in a crowdfunding appeal.
The Belfast Multicultural Association centre in Belfast was badly damaged in last month’s blaze, with large sections of the roof of the historic listed building destroyed.
Police are treating the attack on the property in Donegall Pass in the south of the city as a hate crime.
In the wake of the fire, an online funding page was set up to help the association continue its work distributing food and clothes packages to vulnerable people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Association trustee Muhammad Atif surveys the damage inside the building (David Young/PA)
Its initial £10,000 target was smashed within hours as donations flooded in from across Belfast, Northern Ireland and beyond.
A series of subsequent goals were also surpassed, with the total having reached almost £72,000 four weeks on from the fire.
Volunteers gathered outside the charred wreckage of their centre on Friday as the man who set up the JustGiving page – Amnesty International’s Northern Ireland director Patrick Corrigan – handed over a big cheque.
Association trustee Muhammad Atif said the fire had left everyone associated with the centre “heartbroken”.
But he said the resultant “outpouring of love” had reassured them that the city was behind them.
“It’s really overwhelming, it’s heartwarming,” he said.
“We know the people are with us. We know the communities are with us. There are only a handful of people who probably didn’t want us here. But I hope they will see the positive side of the whole charity and food bank and all the other services we have to offer.”