PRINCETON – Members of the Islamic Center of Greater Princeton, New Jersey, have raised funds for a Christmas Eve dinner for the needy, donating the check to a Trenton area soup kitchen.

“Feeding those in need is an act of compassion central to the legacy of Jesus Christ, the Son of Mary, both of whom are loved and revered by Muslims around the world,” said Adeyinka Mendes, resident scholar and imam of the Muslim Center, The Trentonian reported on Wednesday.

“Christmas Eve should never be a day to worry about your next meal.”

Imam Mendes was speaking as he and Tahir Zafar, chairman of the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton, presented the donations’ check earlier this month.

The donations were handed to Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK) Executive Director Joyce Campbell for TASK’s Forever Meals Endowment Fund.

But, the Islamic center’s help was not limited to raising funds.

Several members of the 20+ year faith community in West Windsor plan to volunteer at the soup kitchen to prepare the meals so TASK staff and volunteers can spend the holiday with their families.

Muslims believe in Jesus as one of the great Prophets of God and that he was born miraculously, conceived with no father, to his mother, Mary, but not that he was the Son of God.

While Muslims regard Jesus as a holy prophet, most do not celebrate his birthday, a date historians note could not have been in December at all.