DUBAI // Residents welcomed the announcement that a food bank card will be issued to needy people so they can access food free of charge.
Last month, the country’s first food bank was launched in Dubai so low-income families and labourers can take advantage of food donated by hotels and supermarkets. Part of the Year of Giving, the food bank will help to provide for the less fortunate while reducing food waste.
“It’s a great initiative and issuing supply cards will streamline the process and the authorities can also take into account how many people are benefiting from the project,” said Rizwan Fancy, an official at Pakistan Association Dubai.
Sultan Al Shehi, the manager of Preservation of Grace, an Emirates Red Crescent initiative to spread awareness about the virtues of grace and giving, announced the launch of the Food Bank card this week.
He said that work would continue on the technology to preserve foods for a year in healthy and safe ways.
It is not yet known how people will be able to apply for the card nor how it will operate.
A British woman who ran a “sharing fridge” last year during Ramadan hopes the Food Bank will have the desired impact.
“I honestly think anything to support feeding the poor and needy should be supported. Every little helps,” said Alison Wade, a 43-year-old financial consultant who organised a regular supply of food to more than 350 workers a day last year during Ramadan in her community, Jumeirah Village Triangle.
“The labourers and gardeners were extremely grateful for their iftar packs. There is so much food waste in Dubai, it’s a fantastic idea to give to the hungry and less fortunate.”
Ms Wade was part of the fridge initiative begun by an Australian expatriate last year that set up sharing fridges across Dubai. More than 5,000 people registered with the group on Facebook to participate in the campaign, aimed at giving excess food to blue-collar workers.
Ms Wade, who will have a fridge for workers again this Ramadan, said that it is often challenging to keep it full.
“I used to get a lot of support from neighbours, but with the huge demand, my fridge used to get empty in just a few hours and I had to rush again to the supermarket or ask neighbours to get more,” she said.
One Dubai resident hopes the food bank card can be easily obtained. He is the sole breadwinner for a family of six and said he had lost his job in January and has had to settle for work earning half as much as he used to.
“The job does not suit my work profile and pays almost half what I used to get in my previous job. All the money goes to rent, bills, school fees and medicines,” the 40-year-old Indian said.
“I hope I will be able to get the food bank card without any hassle.”
A Kenyan cleaner at a company in Dubai said the food bank was an initiative that could benefit her because her son – who is in her homeland – is unwell, so she has been sending home every penny she can spare.
“Hopefully when the food banks are fully operational across the country, no one will sleep with empty stomachs,” the 30-year-old said.
“Hopefully, when I have the card, I won’t have to worry about my food at least.”
Mr Al Shehi said that the number of beneficiaries from the Preservation of Grace project last year was 776,012.
“In the current year, about 600,000 meals have been distributed. This included 10 tonnes of meat, 80 tonnes of vegetables and fruit, two tonnes of dates, 30,000 litres of juices and milk, five tonnes of food supplies, 10,000 bundles of bread and 1,600 food packages.
“In addition to distributing full clothing packages for 1,500 families within the country, 35 tonnes were also distributed to the needy outside the country,” he said.
akhaishgi@thenational.ae
Final round
25 under - Antoine Rozner (FRA)
23 - Francesco Laporta (ITA), Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG)
21 - Grant Forrest (SCO)
20 - Ross Fisher (ENG)
19 - Steven Brown (ENG), Joakim Lagergren (SWE), Niklas Lemke (SWE), Marc Warren (SCO), Bernd Wiesberger (AUT)
2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
- Parasite – 4
- 1917– 3
- Ford v Ferrari – 2
- Joker – 2
- Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
- American Factory – 1
- Bombshell – 1
- Hair Love – 1
- Jojo Rabbit – 1
- Judy – 1
- Little Women – 1
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – 1
- Marriage Story – 1
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MEYDAN CARD
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group One (PA) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
9.25pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group Two (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm Dubai Trophy Conditions (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m
10.35pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
The National selections:
6.30pm AF Alwajel
7.05pm Ekhtiyaar
7.40pm First View
8.15pm Benbatl
8.50pm Zakouski
9.25pm: Kimbear
10pm: Chasing Dreams
10.35pm: Good Fortune
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2 (Heaton (og) 42', Lindelof 64')
Aston Villa 2 (Grealish 11', Mings 66')
Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Series result
1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets
Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5
Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 0
Wolves 2 (Traore 80', 90 4')
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
Results:
Men’s wheelchair 200m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 27.14; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 27.81; 3. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 27.81.
The Lowdown
Kesari
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent