WorldRemit x Bangla Gardens Iftar

Throughout Ramadan, we teamed up with New York’s Bangla Gardens restaurant to provide Iftar meals to New York’s taxi drivers, whose schedules meant that they might not be able to have this sundown meal with their families. We spoke to the restaurant’s owner, Kawzaruz Zaman, about the partnership and community activity.

Iftar is the meal which takes place after sunset throughout the month of Ramadan, and breaks the fast. It’s a time for feasting, sharing food and spending time with family and friends. At the end of the month, a Grand Iftar is held, celebrating the end of the month of fasting.

Kawzaruz Zaman

Zaman runs five businesses in New York, including the popular Bangla Gardens restaurant in Parkchester. The Bangladeshi community in Parkchester know Zaman well, and he has provided Iftar meals for hundreds of locals. He was excited to partner with WorldRemit to be able to share food with more people, and especially to support New York’s taxi driver community, who often find themselves on the road at mealtimes. We partnered with Zaman’s restaurant to distribute 170 meals at his local mosque, as well as giving out fruit, water and snacks to other mosques in New York. At the end of the month, Bangla Gardens hosted a Grand Iftar for 90 of New York’s taxi drivers.

WorldRemit set up an activation spot at the restaurant, so that people were able to seamlessly send money to their family and friends back home during Ramadan. Giving is an important part of Ramadan celebrations, and we were proud to help the New York Bangledeshi community connect with their families back home during the holiday.