The UAE Food Bank, a non-profit charitable organisation committed to distributing food to those in need while eliminating food waste, on Monday said it plans to distribute 30,000 meals locally.
The initiative, launched by Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum earlier this month as part of the UAE’s Year of Giving campaign, plans to set up 15 branches in the UAE and internationally within three years.
In a series of tweets, UAE Food Bank chairperson, Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, said more than 85 hotels and 100 supermarkets have supported the intiative within a few days of its launch.
She said: “The progress the UAE Food Bank has made in only a few days since its inception is remarkable. Due to the sincere generosity and diligent commitment of many institutions, volunteers and philanthropists, we are confident that the UAE Food Bank will be the largest humanitarian initiative in the country and the biggest food-aid initiative yet seen in the Muslim World.
“The UAE Food Bank will do more than distribute food to those in need. It will instil the humanitarian values of philanthropy and volunteerism in the hearts of people, reinforcing the UAE’s culture of giving and strengthening the country’s global position as one of the most humanitarian countries in the world.”
The UAE Food Bank aims to make Dubai the first city in the Middle East to achieve zero food waste.
It will collaborate with local authorities as well as local and international charities to introduce a comprehensive ecosystem improving the efficiency of food storage, packaging and distribution.
It will partner with food producers such as hotels, restaurants and supermarkets and farms to store and package excess fresh food effectively.
It will then work with volunteers and partners to distribute the well-packaged food within and outside of the UAE.
The Food Bank’s operations will begin in Dubai and will expand to other underdeveloped communities in the region and around the world.
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