UAE Food Bank honours strategic partners and volunteers

- Under the directives of Hind bint Maktoum ..UAE Food Bank honours strategic partners and volunteers

Dawoud Al Hajri: The UAE Food Bank’s vision reflects the UAE’s commitment to humanitarian work and the authentic values of charity and giving ingrained in UAE society

- As part of the Food Bank’s initiatives, over 24.5 million meals distributed in the first nine months of 2024, marking a 93% increase compared to the previous year
- 150 awareness programmes and 18 partnership agreements help bolster the Food Bank’s activities and outreach

Under the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, Supreme Chairperson of the UAE Food Bank and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the UAE Food Bank, part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, held its annual ceremony to honour strategic partners, supporters, and volunteers. The ceremony recognised the efforts of people and entities who contributed generously to the Food Bank’s initiatives right through the year. Among the honourees were government departments, institutions, charities, hotels, private sector entities, and volunteers of all ages and diverse backgrounds.

The Food Bank announced the distribution of 24,586,367 meals to beneficiaries in the first nine months of 2024, a 93% increase from the same period last year, with a daily distribution rate exceeding 90,000 meals. The figures surpass the Food Bank’s annual target and support its mission to foster the values of kindness, sustainability, and social responsibility, while also enhancing food security and combatting food waste.

In the first nine months of the year, the UAE Food Bank distributed 166.7 tonnes of food, the equivalent of 416,750 meals, among beneficiaries. It was supported in its edeavours by 925 strategic partners and donors ranging from food establishments, hotels, and companies, in addition to over 5,000 volunteers. The initiatives touched the lives of more than 24.5 million people in the country and around the world.

Supporting sustainability
The UAE Food Bank diverted over 9 million meals from landfills, preventing the wastage of 3,700 tonnes of food. Its actions also helped promote environmental sustainability by reducing carbon emissions. The Food Bank’s efforts contribute to environmental, social, and economic sustainability by managing surplus food efficiently, redistributing it among beneficiaries locally and globally, and recycling unsuitable food for composting in collaboration with private-sector partners.

Strategic collaboration
The UAE Food Bank collaborated with Nimah, a national initiative to reduce food wastage, achieving a 47% reduction in food wastage at participating hotels between 2022 and 2024. Through its No Waste Ramadan initiative, 63 hotels worldwide hosted training and awareness programmes for 400 employees, promoting social responsibility and achieving a marked reduction in food wastage. The initiative also involved the distribution of 300 food waste sorting bins in hotel kitchens, resulting in the diversion of 401,266 kg of food from landfill. Additionally, 232,946 kg of non-perishable food was recycled, and 46,589 kg of compost was produced to support over 50 local farms, collectively reducing carbon emissions by 1,003,166 kg.

His Excellency Dawoud Al Hajri, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Food Bank, underscored that these accomplishments reflect the UAE’s dedication to humanitarian work and the noble values of charity, solidarity, and brotherhood ingrained in UAE society. He emphasised that the UAE Food Bank embodies these values as a sustainable, world-leading institution committed to achieving the UAE’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and delivering food to those in need.

HE Al Hajri stated: “We appreciate the efforts of all strategic partners, donors, and volunteers who have supported the Bank’s initiatives, which highlights their social responsibility and humanitarian spirit. Their collective efforts and sense of volunteerism have made a significant impact, enabling the Bank to achieve its noble goals of providing sustenance to its beneficiaries.”

Educational and awareness programmes
The UAE Food Bank conducted 150 awareness programmes, engaging 3,437 community members and food facility workers to promote better preservation of food and a reduction in its wastage. Additionally, 18 new partnership agreements were signed to enhance strategic partnerships supporting the Food Bank’s mission.

During Ramadan, the UAE Food Bank distributed 7,322,694 meals under the ‘5 Million Meals Initiative,’ with sub-initiatives including ‘Food Baskets’, ‘Your Breakfast with Us’, the ‘1,000 Cookers’ programme, and an iftar hosted for 5,500 workers at Zabeel Park in Dubai.
In response to the extreme weather brought on by the ‘Al Hadeer’ depression, which led to unprecedented rainfall, the UAE Food Bank provided 114,910 meals to those affected, reflecting its readiness and commitment to community welfare during emergencies.

The UAE Food Bank operates on the core principles of humaneness, philanthropy, sustainability, and social responsibility, with its long-term plans geared to support people in need all around the world.