By Daneen Khan
When UNC sophomores Mariam Matin and Ndumbeh Boye first met, they bonded over near-daily trips to the gym.
As they progressed on their fitness journey, Matin said she and Boye began wanting to eat more protein to improve their dietary health. However, she said she found it challenging to find healthy Zabiha Halal options in UNC’s dining halls.
Halal food has been prepared in a way that is permissible according to Islamic principles. “Zabiha” refers to the conditions for slaughtering and preparing the meat of an animal.
Matin said she has eaten Zabiha Halal her entire life, but Boye said she only started once she entered UNC. After hearing from friends and researching the term, she said she decided to eat exclusively Zabiha, too.
“Initially it was a little difficult because I realized just how much I couldn't eat and how much of a lack [of Zabiha Halal options] there were on campus and even in Chapel Hill,” she said.
Once they realized the lack of accessible meals, the two friends took matters into their own hands. They founded their aspiring nonprofit, Halal Heels, in Feb. of 2023.
“It just made sense that we both would do something together,” Matin said. “I think we're both very entrepreneurial.”
The organization's goal was simple: they wanted to increase the accessibility of healthy, delicious Zabiha Halal meals to feed their community in a charitable way.
This year, HH has been working on an “Inspired by...” series. They put their own twist on popular restaurant menus, like Wingstop and Panda Express. Today, they’re setting up their version of Raising Cane's iconic menu, including options like classic and hot honey chicken fingers complete with homemade Cane’s sauce.
All their profits, Matin said, go toward Sadaqah Jariyah, or “ongoing charity.” When somebody buys a meal, their money funds projects that continue to give back.
“Even if someone donates a single dollar, it compounds,” Matin said. “Inshallah, it affects them in the afterlife and not just in this dunya.”
For their first sales, she said HH prepared meals in UNC’s Ehringhaus Residence Hall kitchen until she got an apartment. The cooking process wasn’t new to Boye or Matin – both said they grew up helping their families in the kitchen. But once their outreach grew, their organization reached its production limit.
“We realized very quickly that we needed a bigger space to accomplish the goals that we wanted to accomplish in expanding our cause,” Matin said.
The solution presented itself after a sale where she and Boye had leftover ingredients. They prepared extra meals to donate to the SECU Community House, a shelter for men experiencing homelessness in Orange County.
The Community House, Matin said, not only appreciated the meals – they also offered their 24/7 commercial kitchen as a space for the girls to cook.
“It was almost like a breakthrough moment because we really didn't know where to go from there without a bigger kitchen, and then it was just handed to us,” she said.
After securing the larger space, HH produced a higher quantity of meals. Now, they sell around 60 to 70 boxes at each sale. They have organized collaborations, such as providing food for the UNC Muslim Students Association’s Monday and Thursday iftars. But they don’t just cook for the Muslim ummah – they also continue to feed the Community House and their non-Muslim customers.
As their outreach grew, HH also expanded its board to nine total people, some of which include faith, impact, media and financial chairs.
UNC sophomore Maab Sulieman, the organization’s media chair, first became involved with HH after meeting Boye and Matin during their first year at UNC. Their friend group would hold weekly dinners where one person would cook for the others in the Hinton James Residence Hall kitchen.
Sulieman said Boye and Matin reached out to her when starting Halal Heels. She started as a volunteer before eventually joining the board.
She said she thinks that Halal Heels has helped her understand how possible it is for students at big universities to turn their ideas into a reality. She said she’s never been a part of an initiative where she’s seen this growth from the ground up.
“It's very much a reciprocal relationship,” she said. “Not only are we helping the Muslim community here at UNC, but we're also helping the broader community at Chapel Hill.”
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