UAE Food Bank Distributes 8 Million Meals in Ramadan Drive

Photo: Dubai Government Media Office

Under the guidance of Her Highness Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the Supreme Chairperson of the UAE Food Bank, the Bank announced a huge success during Ramadan. Through its ‘United in Giving’ campaign, the Bank gave out almost eight million meals, beating its original goal of seven million meals.

The initiative helped more than 700,000 families and 11,000 workers by delivering food both inside the UAE and to other countries. As part of its efforts outside the UAE, the Bank sent 378,240 meals to different parts of the world. Within the UAE, the Bank worked with the National Initiative to Reduce Food Loss and Waste, known as ‘Ne’ma’, and provided over 8,000 meals to workers through the ‘Ne’ma Community Fridges’. It also gave out 3,000 meals through the ‘Zabeel Iftar’ programme.

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This big effort was possible because of the support from 200 partners, including hotels, restaurants, and food companies. More than 1,000 volunteers helped in moving and handing out the meals. The UAE Food Bank also ran 48 awareness programmes to teach people how to manage surplus food better and reduce food waste.

A Vision for the Future

Manal Bin Yaroof, Head of the Executive Team at the UAE Food Bank, said that the ‘United in Giving’ campaign shows the Bank’s strong commitment to kindness, social responsibility, and protecting the environment. She added that reaching beyond the campaign’s goal reflects the generous spirit that is deeply rooted in Emirati culture. The initiative also supports the Bank’s bigger mission: to provide good quality food, improve lives, and take care of the environment through smart and sustainable ways.

Helping the Environment

The UAE Food Bank didn’t just feed people—it also helped the planet. The Bank saved over 917 tonnes of food from being thrown away in landfills, which helped reduce over 2.3 million kilograms of harmful carbon emissions. This is like saving more than 97,000 trees. Also, working with ‘Ne’ma’, the Bank recycled more than 335,000 kilograms of food waste from hotels and turned it into 50,366 kilograms of organic fertilizer.

New Partnerships

To continue growing and helping more people, the UAE Food Bank signed 12 new agreements with government agencies, private companies, charities, and food businesses. These partnerships will help the Bank reach even more people in the future.

The ‘United in Giving’ campaign is part of the UAE Food Bank’s larger mission to manage surplus food in a smart way and to cut down on food waste. Its main programmes—‘Blessings Baskets’, ‘Zabeel Iftar’, ‘Surplus of Good’, and ‘Ne’ma Community Fridges’—are designed to deliver millions of meals, get more people involved in giving back to the community, and teach everyone the importance of not wasting food during Ramadan and all year round.