Amazon to contribute to one million meals this Ramadan

Meals will be donated to families in need in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan

Workers at Amazon pack Ramadan food hampers in the UAE. Courtesy: Amazon 

E-commerce site Amazon has announced that it will contribute towards more than one million meals to families in need across the Mena region this Ramadan.

The food will be donated to people in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan throughout the holy month.

Partnering with regional charities, the company will create hampers of goods, which they estimate will result in approximately 1,074,080 meals.

"In light of the month of Ramadan, Amazon is delighted to continue supporting food charities across the region. With our ability to innovate quickly and experience in logistics and delivery, we are helping to get more than one million meals into the hands of those who need them the most throughout the month of giving," says Ronaldo Mouchawar, vice president of Amazon Mena.

"Since the start of the global pandemic, Amazon has played a vital role in delivering daily essentials to customers in the safety and comfort of their homes, while prioritising the health and safety of its employees, customers, and partners," the company said.

"The UAE Food Bank's mission is to help the people in need while reducing food waste. Ramadan has always been the month of giving and helping others, and it is our pleasure to be partnering with Amazon this Ramadan," said Iman Al Bastaki, head of the food safety department at Dubai Municipality and member of the UAE Food Bank committee. "We feel very passionate about the work we do, and we value the partnerships we have with the private sector who are always keen to give back and share the same passion."

This was echoed by Prashant Saran, director of operations for Amazon Mena.

"We are driven by the belief that no family should have to make trade-offs to meet their basic needs and we are delighted to partner with organisations who share our commitment," he said.

"With the holy month of Ramadan looking a little different this year, our meal donation programme is designed to utilise our assets including scale, logistics and technology, for the benefit of the community."

This Ramadan, the UAE has set out a plan to fund 100 million free meals in 20 countries across the region, in one of the biggest food drives of its kind.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, unveiled a major campaign to ensure people in need do not go hungry, saying 820 million people undernourished globally, including 52 million in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The campaign is an expansion of 2020's 10 Million Meals campaign, which helped people in the UAE who lost jobs and faced salary cuts during the pandemic. It also worked to feed people who would normally end their fast at free iftars at mosques and public places, which had to be cancelled because of the pandemic.

A website set up for the campaign allows people to donate as little as Dh10 to fund 10 meals, rising to Dh500 or more. You can do this via the website, SMS or bank transfer and even over the phone. All details on how to do it are available online.

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