DUBAI // Residents welcomed the announcement that a food bank card will be issued to needy people so they can access food free of charge.
Last month, the country’s first food bank was launched in Dubai so low-income families and labourers can take advantage of food donated by hotels and supermarkets. Part of the Year of Giving, the food bank will help to provide for the less fortunate while reducing food waste.
“It’s a great initiative and issuing supply cards will streamline the process and the authorities can also take into account how many people are benefiting from the project,” said Rizwan Fancy, an official at Pakistan Association Dubai.
Sultan Al Shehi, the manager of Preservation of Grace, an Emirates Red Crescent initiative to spread awareness about the virtues of grace and giving, announced the launch of the Food Bank card this week.
He said that work would continue on the technology to preserve foods for a year in healthy and safe ways.
It is not yet known how people will be able to apply for the card nor how it will operate.
A British woman who ran a “sharing fridge” last year during Ramadan hopes the Food Bank will have the desired impact.
“I honestly think anything to support feeding the poor and needy should be supported. Every little helps,” said Alison Wade, a 43-year-old financial consultant who organised a regular supply of food to more than 350 workers a day last year during Ramadan in her community, Jumeirah Village Triangle.
“The labourers and gardeners were extremely grateful for their iftar packs. There is so much food waste in Dubai, it’s a fantastic idea to give to the hungry and less fortunate.”
Ms Wade was part of the fridge initiative begun by an Australian expatriate last year that set up sharing fridges across Dubai. More than 5,000 people registered with the group on Facebook to participate in the campaign, aimed at giving excess food to blue-collar workers.
Ms Wade, who will have a fridge for workers again this Ramadan, said that it is often challenging to keep it full.
“I used to get a lot of support from neighbours, but with the huge demand, my fridge used to get empty in just a few hours and I had to rush again to the supermarket or ask neighbours to get more,” she said.
One Dubai resident hopes the food bank card can be easily obtained. He is the sole breadwinner for a family of six and said he had lost his job in January and has had to settle for work earning half as much as he used to.
“The job does not suit my work profile and pays almost half what I used to get in my previous job. All the money goes to rent, bills, school fees and medicines,” the 40-year-old Indian said.
“I hope I will be able to get the food bank card without any hassle.”
A Kenyan cleaner at a company in Dubai said the food bank was an initiative that could benefit her because her son – who is in her homeland – is unwell, so she has been sending home every penny she can spare.
“Hopefully when the food banks are fully operational across the country, no one will sleep with empty stomachs,” the 30-year-old said.
“Hopefully, when I have the card, I won’t have to worry about my food at least.”
Mr Al Shehi said that the number of beneficiaries from the Preservation of Grace project last year was 776,012.
“In the current year, about 600,000 meals have been distributed. This included 10 tonnes of meat, 80 tonnes of vegetables and fruit, two tonnes of dates, 30,000 litres of juices and milk, five tonnes of food supplies, 10,000 bundles of bread and 1,600 food packages.
“In addition to distributing full clothing packages for 1,500 families within the country, 35 tonnes were also distributed to the needy outside the country,” he said.
akhaishgi@thenational.ae
