Mariam Wehbe learned about a program offering home-delivered meals made according to Islamic law at a good time – poor health made cooking impossible and a grandson who helps her had to cut back to devote more time to school. Plus, as a Muslim, she could keep halal. Wehbe, 70, who lives in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, is among the recipients of a new Halal Meals on Wheels program. It's the first in the country to work with a national halal food distributor and comes after a lengthy effort by nonprofit agencies that serve area senior citizens as well as Muslim- and Arab-Americans. Like other Meals on Wheels programs, it's designed for people who are at least 60 years old, confined to their homes and unable to make their own meals. The halal meals are deemed lawful for Muslims because they are prepared according to Islamic teachings. Amne Talab, social services director of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services in Dearborn, said the need has grown as the population ages and more elderly lose help from family members working more to make ends meet in a tough economy. She was “aware of the regular Meals on Wheels program and wondered ... if they could make it halal,” said Talab, who is also a member of the state's Commission on Services to the Aging. Talab said finding money for the program had been a challenge until the area nonprofit Senior Alliance Area Agency on Aging 1-C identified federal funding available through a state agency. The program that started last month has about 20 recipients. But Talab expects the number will grow as word spreads. Experts predict that the halal meals will gain traction in states with large Muslim populations such as New York, Texas, California and Illinois. Entrees in the food program include tandoori-style chicken thigh with rice and onions and lentil stew with lamb.
