Council of Peoples Organization (COPO)

Step into the offices of the Council of Peoples Organization (COPO) in Midwood, Brooklyn, and you’ll find a hive of activity: volunteers distributing food from the largest halal food pantry in the area, attorneys providing free immigration services to newly arrived families, and staff assisting older adults with home care enrollment.

This dynamic scene is a testament to COPO’s evolution from a small community initiative to one of the largest Muslim, Arab, and South Asian-serving organizations in Brooklyn.

COPO’s roots trace back to the aftermath of 9/11, when several business owners in Central Brooklyn responded to the rising tide of discrimination against Arab and Muslim communities in the neighborhoods of Midwood and Kensington. What began as a six-month project to provide legal aid quickly evolved into a permanent fixture in the community, offering a wide array of social services to meet the community’s growing needs.

“My dad had the first Pakistani store in Midwood,” recalls Mohammad Razvi, COPO’s CEO and founder. “My dad is the one that people came to when they needed assistance, because he had the grocery store. The mom-and-pop stores are the ones who are the first social service agencies.”

Razvi’s parents would bridge gaps in the community, helping their neighbors – including many newly arrived immigrants – to make ends meet. That meant if a neighbor needed groceries but their paycheck was late, letting them take the food to feed their family now and pay later; when someone was looking for a job, connecting them with people who were hiring; when a family immigrated to the community, calling local schools to help enroll their children.

As Razvi explains, “because of the trust of the community within my dad, people came to us for help, and then we started the organization.”

Nearly 50% of New York City’s Pakistani population lives in Brooklyn, and a growing Bangladeshi population calls the intersection of Kensington, Midwood, and Flatbush home. Razvi explains, “In my neighborhood, you can go from little Pakistan, stop over in little Israel, go over to little Bangladesh, and continue on to little Mexico, and end up in little Caribbean. You don’t even need a visa.”

Bringing together diverse communities is at the heart of COPO’s work and is reflected in their volunteer base, with people “from Pakistan, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, China, all working together.”

Today, COPO serves over 35,000 people annually, with a staff and volunteer base of more than 125. The organization has become a one-stop shop for community needs, offering an array of resources that go far beyond its original scope.

From operating the largest halal food pantry and the only halal Meals on Wheels program in Brooklyn to providing free immigration attorneys and job placement assistance, COPO has woven itself into the fabric of Brooklyn’s diasporic Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities.

Brooklyn Org’s support has been instrumental in COPO’s growth and resilience, particularly during challenging times like the COVID-19 pandemic. What started out as serving 60 families a week through their food pantry grew drastically when the pandemic hit.

“Because of the seed money from Brooklyn Org, this whole program expanded. It increased to 1,000 to 10,000 to 30,000 families per week,” Razvi explains.

BKO’s support goes beyond just funding, as Razvi shares that “what makes Brooklyn Org unique is that they also give you assistance after giving you the money. They’ll call you in and show you what other things are possible.”

This includes connecting our partners with other local organizations to amplify their impact: “Brooklyn Org brings together community service providers which may have not known each other. When Brooklyn Org brings the communities together, they are then able to assist one another and be inspired.”

This support has allowed COPO to expand its programs and build their capacity to meet the ever-growing needs of their clients while continuing to build relationships between their communities and local elected officials.

Razvi’s vision for COPO is a testament to the power of community-driven initiatives. “My hope for the borough of Brooklyn is to have everyone working and helping each other. The beauty is when you’re helping one person to stand up on their feet, they’re going to help others.”

As COPO continues to grow and serve low-income Brooklyn communities, Razvi remains committed to this mission: “‘People helping people’ is our motto — and that is exactly what Brooklyn Org is doing. It’s giving love so we can also give love to other people.”

It’s a simple yet powerful ethos that captures the spirit of COPO and the transformative impact they have on the lives of Brooklynites every day.