Hifz Al Naema, first food bank in Qatar, distributed 470,000 meals from surplus food in 2023

Today, centre has 15 buses, 30 employees and covers more than 30 locations

NT Bureau

DOHA: Hifz Al Naema, the first food bank in Qatar, distributed 470,000 meals of surplus food in 2023, and the centre today covers more than 30 locations inside and outside Doha.

Speaking to Qatar TV, Ali Ayed Al-Qahtani, Director of the Hefz Al-Nima Center, said that the project began with an idea limited to reducing food waste, and today it is a social movement that receives surplus food and personal belongings from donors.

“We established as an idea in 2008 with a small number of staff, and today we have 15 buses and 30 employees, and it has gone from the idea of receiving surplus food from the community (especially households) to receiving donations from associations, hypermarkets, hotels, institutions, and celebration halls,” he said.

“We cover more than 30 locations inside and outside Doha. The number of meals that were saved and redistributed from surplus food last year amounted to 470,000. In addition to that, tonnes of vegetables, meat, and canned food are also being distributed,” Al-Qahtani added.

The service assumes great importance during the holy month of Ramadan as a large number of households donate their surplus food to the centre which distributes it among the needy people.

“The idea started in 2008, where Hifz Al Naema Project which is the first food bank in Qatar was established with a community initiative. Its role was to collect surplus food and distribute it to those in need in Qatar. The project became a social center to raise awareness for receiving surplus food and furniture and redistribution them,” the centre says in its website.