A few weeks back while visiting an exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, I came across the stall of Eta’am which was full of energetic young guys. They introduced me to this service which I myself wanted to present to Riyadh+Acumen but it was great to know that such service is already present and is working successfully.
The Idea:
Eta’am is a non-profit organization that was initiated by a group of businessmen in the Eastern Province, KSA. The main goal is to preserve food from wastage (which is a big problem in KSA) by distributing it to the beneficiaries and by spreading the culture of preserving it.
Al-Fozan Social Foundation created the first Saudi food bank of its kind, called Eta’am , in May 2010 with the help of 49 businessmen and a capital of almost SR 9 million.
Eta’am is a year-round charitable organization that collects quality meals with the help of regular employees and volunteers, and delivers them to beneficiaries recommended by charities in the utmost of privacy.
Abdulla Al-Fozan, member of the founding committee, contacted a food bank in Egypt and utilized its vast experience in this domain to ensure that the establishment of the bank was built on strong foundations.
According to Khaled Khan, an official at the Eta’am food bank, more than four million meals are dumped in the garbage every day all year round. Khan says this “shocking number” is what led the businessmen to take a step forward and lend a charitable hand to those in need and shoulder their responsibility toward their communities.
Khaled al-Khan explains the food bank’s mission in a nutshell.
“We collect surplus food – food that has not been consumed on the buffet, not leftovers – pack it and deliver it to those who need it.”
Eta’am recruits a team of workers that meticulously handle leftover food from banquets. Norah al-Dumairi, team supervisor says health and hygiene are of utmost importance when collecting uneaten food.
“When we go to pack food, we are prepared with our coats, gloves and head coverings to ensure the entire process is hygienic.” “Our meals are suitable for everyone as it is quality food that can be consumed at one’s convenience.”
Ita’am director Hammad al-Dowalea says many charity associations help deliver the food to listed recipients.
But that is not all the founders wanted to accomplish with this project. Through their recruitment of team workers they offer a smooth coalition of charity and social work by training and rehabilitating their workers, and in doing so, offer unique employment opportunities.
The youth in the Eastern Province grew fond of charitable work from their experience of dealing with such professional organizations and have started their own projects that they run in their free time with their friends.
Al Fozan Group sees this as the building block of a bigger project, which is providing the young minds with education and experience.
Those interested in volunteering or contributing to Eta’am can contact them through any of the following ways:
Website: http://www.saudifoodbank.com/ (The website is in Arabic Only)
Email: riyadh@saudifoodbank.com
Phone #: 011 2066060 , 920008110
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Saudifoodbank
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SaudiFoodBank
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/saudifoodbank
Instagram: http://instagram.com/saudifoodbank
-urShadow
References:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/first-saudi-food-bank
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/06/21/221947.html
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