This Ramadan we are pausing The Free Shop and turning it into a food distribution hub! We are inviting families each day to pick up a large food pack, which they can also have some freedom of varying items. Syrian, Palestinian and Lebanese families are fasting in the day and need a nourishing meal in the evening to be healthy and to celebrate Ramadan in line with their traditions and culture.
We're distributing large food packs, enough dry food items to feed a family of six for the whole month of Ramadan, which they top up by buying their own vegetables and fruits locally. Our team are really passionate about this project, Ramadan is a very special time and we hope you can support us with even a small donation to purchase food to reach more families.
Hamida, one of our team, helps an older man load his large food pack (black bag) plus 10kilos of potatoes (blue bag) as well as oil onto his bike to bring home to his family. This donation of potatoes or rice, bulgur, pasta, tomato passata, ghee (like butter/fat), dates, hummus, mortadella, foul beans, flour, tea and sugar is a life-line for parents and children in the Bekaa Valley.
We are choosing families using our local knowledge of the areas where the most vulnerable and hidden people are, who are not getting any cash support or food assistance from other charities. We are also attaining to reach families containing many older people who cannot work, and for families headed by single women with multiple children.
We complete registration in person to make sure we reach the right families and to evaluate their individual needs before distributing the food packs. We do this because we don't have a huge amount of resources to distribute to everyone who asks.
A couple return home to their kids with their food pack on 14th March 2024 thanks to our distribution supported by your generous donations.
Our team are in charge of this project, from concept to what goes in the packs to budgeting to organizing the distributions and collecting feedback and photos and videos. Four UK trustees support the team to do this amazing work ❤
(From L-R Ibrahim, Khaled, Bashar, Dalal, Tahani, Hamida)