Dubai: A community ‘Food Fridge’ in Dubai that offers packed food items for free has completed exactly one year this World Food Day (October 16).
It was on the previous World Food Day (in 2020) that the UAE Food Bank collaborated with the Dawoodi Bohra community in Dubai and installed the Food Fridge close to Al Masakin, a residential building in Al Nahda 2.
Always stocked
The fridge still stands strong and is regularly replenished with packed food items that can be taken by anyone without any charge. The students and staff members of MSB Private School, which is also located in Al Nahda, regularly stock up the refrigerator with items like tetra juice packs, milk cartons, water bottles, canned food and other packed items.
Neighbouring construction workers and many others who are aware of the initiative regularly themselves to the fridge. Once the stock starts reducing in the food bank, the students refill it.
Shabbir Murtaza, a Grade 12 student from MSB Private School, said: “It gives me great pride in contributing to the Food Bank and sharing food with others makes me happy“.
The project is run under Project Rise, a philanthropic endeavour initiated by the Dawoodi Bohra community aiming to raise prospects of the less fortunate worldwide.
The UAE Food Bank is a non-profit charitable organisation launched under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI).
Zero food waste target
In line with the teachings of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), the leader of the Dawoodi Bohra community, Dr Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, advises the community members to eliminate food wastage and also ensure that those around them are not deprived for food.
Various initiatives are run by the Bohras, such as community kitchens where meals are cooked by members for others in the community and zero-food wastage initiatives where left over food from gatherings or events are distributed to the needy, amongst others.
