(MENAFN- The Peninsula) By Sidi Mohamed | The Peninsula
DOHA: To save food from wastage and feed the needy people, Hifz Al Naema centre collects and distributes around 1,000 meals a day, which is enough to feed 6,000 people.
As a lot of food is wasted during the holy month of Ramadan due to frequent banquets and Iftar gatherings, a social centre has stepped in and is helping collect the surplus food and distribute it to people who are in need.
According to Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), up to one-third of all food is spoiled or squandered before it is consumed by people. It is an excess in an age where almost a billion people go hungry, and represents a waste of labour, water, energy, land and other inputs that went into producing that food.
Speaking to one of the local channels recently, Youssef Al Khulaifi, Head of Public Relations of Hifz Al Naema Center, said that the centre collects surplus food that is not consumed and distributes it quickly among people who need it through 24 distribution sites around the country.
He added that there is more work during Ramadan as they receive large number of calls daily from people who want to donate food and sometimes the centre is not in a position to respond to all calls.
The centre also receives many calls from needy people and Hifz Al Naema has made a priority list of these people and collects enough food to distribute among these people daily.
Recently the centre expanded its area of work to include a section for furniture. Earlier the centre used to collect only food. Qataris and residents are keen to help the centre and it is evident from the fact that in a few days after its opening the new section received more than 600 calls from people who wanted to donate their used furniture.
The centre receives surplus food and furniture from entities like hotels and also from public, who organize wedding banquets or other such functions.
Al Khulaifi emphasised on the need of spreading the culture of saving food. Regarding the challenges being faced by the centre, he said that the main challenge was the increasing number of calls for donation of surplus food and furniture and it had forced the centre to prioritise receiving these donations due to the limitation of vehicles at the centre.
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