Doha: Hifz Al Naema Center, the largest social initiative to reduce food waste in Qatar, collected 355,208 surplus meals and distributed them to needy families and workers in 2022.
As many as 358,870 people benefited from the activities of the center last year. The activities include collecting surplus cooked meals, food items and in-kind contributions among others.
The center runs special programmes during the holy month of Ramadan like distributing food baskets, iftar meals and Zakat Al Fitr.
“The center has intensified its work during the holy month of Ramadan when the number of surplus food increases due to Iftar parties and banquets,” said Public Relations Officer at Hifz Al Naema Center, Muhammad Yousef Al Muftah.
Speaking to Qatar TV recently, he said that the center approached to philanthropists across the country through its hotline No. 44355555. “We deployed all our vehicles and employees to collect surplus foods from all over the country during Ramadan,” said Al Muftah.
He said that the center provided a balance between generosity of people and reducing food waste by collecting the surplus food to distribute among needy families and workers.
To a question about the operational mechanism of the center, Al Muftah said: “Banquet organisers are required to inform the center through its hotline. In response, we dispatch the vehicles to collect the surplus foods.”
He said that the cooked meals are being collected and distributed after repackaging to the needy people on the same day. However, the food commodities which are donated by philanthropists are saved in the food bank of the center to distribute among the needy families registered with the center.
In 2023 sa far, the center has collected 90,219 surplus meals, 20,626kg fruits and vegetables, 3,581 electronic appliances. As many as 48,765 people benefited from the services of the center this year.
Hifz Al Naema Center, which was established in 2008, is a service and awareness-raising social center that aims to optimise existing resources and capital that would have otherwise been thrown away.
These resources instead of being thrown into landfills, are reused to meet the needs of needy people and to educate the rich on the hazards of food waste as well as to protect the environment.
With a noble vision of a waste-free Qatar, the center has prioritised finding alternative and sustainable waste management practices through redistribution and reuse.
It is raising awareness about responsible food consumption, reinforcing charitable giving and empathy between different social classes and promoting sustainable practices to alleviate the burden of waste management on the environment.
Hifz Al Naema Center is also educating the youth and the domestic works on how to prevent food waste and on proper ways to reuse surplus food.
