our arlington neighbors: Dr. tariq javed

Dr. Tariq Javed is the Ministry Director of ABB and currently runs our food pantry. In serving different communities, Dr. Tariq has a passion for empowering others through compassionate care. This is his story:

I was born and raised in Pakistan in a Christian household. Christian communities face a lot of persecution in my country, so finding access to a good education growing up was often difficult for me.

I had favor from the Lord though, and after I passed my exams, I was offered a job in Kuwait. I started attending a multi-ethnic ministry where the Lord grew my passion for Him. I was grateful for the opportunity to serve and study ministry and theology at the graduate level, which ultimately led me to move to the United States with my family to complete my doctoral studies and to serve more.

But when I was living in Kuwait and visiting my family in Pakistan during the holidays, I saw that many people struggled with poverty and oppression- they couldn’t even eat two meals a day. I was moved to preach and raise money to help the poor in my community. However, when I came here, I saw that it was nearly impossible because of travel restrictions.

Instead, one of my friends who was a pastor had interviewed me for a job at ABB. When this happened, I knew God had given me the desires of my heart! Even though I wanted to serve in Pakistan, God called me to serve people here in Arlington - especially those who come to ABB for assistance. Through this ministry, I have a way to advocate for people.

In this pandemic season, I go to the Capital Area Food Bank to load food onto my truck. I usually get around 1,000 pounds of food per week for the food pantry. People have a lot to choose from, like meat, potatoes, black beans, soup, onions, tomatoes, veggies, carrots, and other things. In fact, the food pantry is famous for its chicken, beef, and fish.

My motto is: When people come, I serve them with compassion and love. I don't want them to feel that someone is just giving them food and they have to accept it. So in a way that makes them feel valued. They have the choice to choose whatever they want for themselves, just like any grocery store would.
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God enables us to serve His people. That is the marvelous opportunity, and it is an honor for me to serve Him.