The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Food Bank has unveiled plans to distribute five million meals during Ramadan through five new initiatives.
These efforts are being carried out under the guidance and oversight of Her Highness Sheikha Hind Bint Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the UAE Food Bank and the wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai.
As part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), the UAE Food Bank is dedicated to efficiently managing surplus food, reducing waste, and distributing it to those in need worldwide.
This initiative reflects the core values of kindness, generosity, charity, and social welfare, highlighting the commitment to addressing food insecurity and promoting humanitarian efforts.
The initiative sets out to provide 166,666 meals daily, catering to over half a million families and more than three million workers.
This commitment to food distribution spans various sub-initiatives and campaigns, such as the ‘Your Iftar is on Us’ campaign, the ‘No for Wasting Food’ initiative, the ‘Cook of Thousand Meals’ initiative, ‘Food Parcel,’ and ‘Iftar with the Workers’.
Furthermore, 25 educational programs will be launched to promote awareness of environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and volunteerism.
With anticipation of widespread support, the UAE Food Bank foresees over 350 strategic partners and supporters from food facilities, hotels, and companies. More than 5,000 volunteers are poised to assist the bank’s initiatives throughout Ramadan.
Additionally, the bank will enter into five partnership agreements to enhance its efforts to efficiently manage surplus food and reduce waste in collaboration with the private sector.
Dawoud Al Hajri, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Food Bank, emphasised the significance of the bank’s initiatives during the Holy Month of Ramadan, highlighting its role as a comprehensive humanitarian system and a leading global institution that prioritises the value of food provision.
Al Hajri highlighted, “Through these initiatives, our aim is to promote responsible food management and decrease food waste. We also seek to foster a sense of social responsibility, promote volunteerism, and actively collect and distribute financial and food donations to those in need.
Our endeavours aim to instil values of compassion, generosity, and solidarity within the community, ensuring efficient distribution of surplus food to as many people as possible during Ramadan.”
He stressed the bank’s target to divert 975 tons of food waste from landfills during Ramadan, equivalent to planting 102,135 trees annually.
This commitment aligns with the bank’s focus on environmental sustainability and contributes to broader goals of reducing carbon emissions and achieving a 30 percent reduction in food waste by 2027.
Under the ‘Your Iftar is on Us’ initiative, the UAE Food Bank plans to gather meals for distribution to beneficiaries both within and outside the UAE.
This effort aims to provide 350,000 meals donated by more than 50 organizations. The campaign will be coordinated by seven entities with the assistance of numerous volunteers.
The ‘Donate a Food Parcel’ initiative aims to collect contributions in the form of food parcels through the purchase of vouchers redeemable at local retail stores.
These parcels are expected to provide up to 1.5 million meals.
Additionally, the UAE Food Bank is organizing an initiative focused on providing iftar meals to over 2,000 workers in Dubai.
The primary objective of this effort is to promote community solidarity and recognise the invaluable contributions of workers.
Furthermore, the bank will host the ‘Cook of Thousand Meals’ competition, bringing together aspiring chefs to cook and distribute 4,000 meals daily over five days during Ramadan in the UAE.
This collaborative initiative is being organized in partnership with Taya Production.
Moreover, the bank will collaborate with 200 donors from fruit and vegetable markets, commercial enterprises, and wholesale markets to redistribute surplus food and prepare meals adhering to high-quality standards for the well-being of workers, providing up to two million meals.
Additionally, any surplus cooked meals from local restaurants and hotels will also be distributed.
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