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How the Salaam Club is helping to support Brooklyn during coronavirus pandemic

May 19, 2020 Editorial Staff
Dr. Pierre Hindy (second from left) and John Abi Habib (right) used the Salaam Club’s TOUM truck to feed members of the FDNY. Photos courtesy of the Salaam Club of New York
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Celebrating a proud heritage, the Salaam Club of New York, one of Brooklyn’s oldest civic groups, has been performing good works in Brooklyn and beyond for 75 years. Always quick to respond to the needs of the community, the Salaam Club recently helped initiate a GoFundMe campaign to raise much-needed funds during the coronavirus pandemic.

Spearheaded by club members John Abi Habib, Honorary Consul of Lebanon, in New Jersey and President of MSI & mCloudServ; and Dr. Pierre Hindy, founder of Gastroenterology Associates of Brooklyn, the club’s COVID Campaign was specifically formed to offer relief to our front-line heroes, including doctors, nurses, technicians, administrators, police officer and firefighters.

The campaign has helped raise over $60,000 for the cause thanks to private donations and the Salaam Club Foundation’s initial $25,000 contribution.

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The COVID Campaign Committee includes Salaam Club President Hani Barghash, Gregory Lutfey, Dr. George Shahin, Abi Habib and Hindy.

Salaam Club COVID Campaign committee members John Abi Habib and Dr. Pierre Hindy in front of the TOUM truck.

“This is a time for all of us to join together and assist our community so that we can get through this coronavirus crisis and return to normal in the foreseeable future,” said Hindy. “One hundred percent of the donations will be used to support the club’s initiative in assisting in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hindy added.

In addition to the COVID campaign, the Salaam Club has actively organized events to help the community throughout the crisis. They recently contracted with TOUM, a food truck that serves a variety of Lebanese food including chicken shawarma, falafel, rice and fries. The truck has visited several locations to serve free lunches to frontline workers.

“We have a 7-foot banner next to the truck and a paper on each lunch bag indicating that the food is compliments of the Salaam Club and prepared for the fontline workers for their unrelenting dedication and efforts in helping our community during this crisis,” explained Lutfey.

“We’ve delivered over 2,000 meals so far. We were also given a shout-out from Rosanna Scotto on ‘Good Day New York’ on Fox 5 last Thursday,” added Lutfey.

Salaam Club members made a food delivery to the Bay Ridge Center.

The TOUM truck has visited locations throughout Brooklyn and Staten Island including the Bay Ridge Center, the St. Nicholas Home, the Guild for Exceptional Children, the 68th Precinct, Maimonides Medical Center, Staten Island Hospital and the Brooklyn Veterans Hospital.

The club has also distributed hundreds of face masks to individuals at Jamaica Hospital, the Guild for Exceptional Children and Family Health Centers at NYU Langone. According to Lutfey, Investors Bank has also contributed 200 N95 masks, as well as donating to the club’s GoFundMe campaign.

The Salaam Club was founded in 1945 by Lebanese and Syrian immigrants in Bay Ridge and was formed as a cultural fraternity of businessmen of Middle Eastern descent. It originally served as a means to allow these civic leaders to help serve their community.

Since its inception, the club has raised and distributed more than $1,000,000 to various charitable organizations.

Salaam Club member Dr. Pierre Hindy has asked for support for fontline heroes during the coronavirus pandemic.

In 1994, the Salaam Club Community Fund was established to benefit local organizations such as the Guild for Exceptional Children in Bay Ridge and the St. Nicholas Home on Ovington Ave.

The Salaam Club Foundation, which was formed in 2008, conducts turkey drives, donates funds to the Salvation Army, helps children in need and has generously supported St. Jude Children’s Hospital through the years.

“I, personally, have been honored to be part of this great organization, as past president and current secretary of the Salaam Club Foundation,” said Abi Habib.

“We are dedicated to helping others, including 13 charitable organizations. The Salaam Club is also proud to offer aid and assistance to our community throughout this horrible pandemic,” Abi Habib added.


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  1. Francesca Tate

    The Salaam Club is to be commended for helping my beloved Brooklyn and for teaming with the TOUM food truck. As someone who LOVES both eating and cooking Lebanese, Syrian and Armenian cuisine, I think their choice of the word “TOUM” is especially apt, and it’s great if the food truck offers this wonderful condiment with its meals. For anyone who is unfamiliar with toum, this is a garlic mayonnaise that is made with a mortar & pestle (and more commonly in a food processor) by mincing garlic and then adding olive oil and lemon juice alternately in a very slow and gentle stream. Garlic is a natural vegan emulsifier, and a successful toum will look very much like mayonnaise. I have some in my refrigerator right now, and it is great mixed with Labne Kefir cheese, cucumbers and mint. Kudos to the Salaam Club and TOUM.

    May 20, 2020 at 10:15 am
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