Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
BIG-HEARTED charity groups in the kingdom have joined the rest of the globe in celebrating World Food Day on Sunday by rallying meal donations for the less fortunate to ensure no one goes hungry or is left behind.
World Food Day 2022, themed ‘Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow’, is among the most celebrated days of the UN calendar. Hundreds of events and outreach activities take place across 150 countries on this day to promote awareness on the need to ensure healthy diets for all.
The unregistered, not-for-profit charity champions OneHeartBahrain, in collaboration with their sister group WeCare Bahrain, aim to distribute a minimum of 500 meals to labourers.
“Our intention for World Food Day this year, which takes place on October 16, is to raise awareness on world hunger and at the same time approach the issue to ensure collective action, functioning as one human family to help those in need,” said social strategist and meditation teacher Birthe van der Heijden, who founded the community-driven group in 2019 to unite the kingdom through acts of kindness.
According to Birthe, the Bahrain Food Bank also provided the charity with 300 meals donated by the general public using the Talabat App.
“This is beautiful,” said Birthe. “It was our wish for the public to get behind World Food Day and so far, all the meals have come from them.
“We collaborate with the wider public and with charities such as Bahrain Food Bank to ensure that there is a food support system in place for all residents of Bahrain.
“During Covid-19, we rallied round to provide food for the hungry. There are still occasional cases due to job loss, salary delays or personal injuries, when food aid is required. This can be extremely tough for those from the migrant community as there is no social safety net that kicks in. We have also seen hunger cases amongst residents from other backgrounds, including Bahrainis, who for one reason or the other are not able to access money at a certain moment in time and therefore, request food aid.
“People are also welcome to donate clothing on October 13 at a car boot collection in Saar from 6pm-6.30pm. Food will be distributed to camps in Riffa, Salmabad, Al Eker and Sitra on October 14, starting at 1pm.
“Rather than targeting one large camp, we are opting for multiple camps to honour World Food Day,” added Birthe. “And of course it allows us to spread our goodwill to different labour communities across Bahrain.
“However, if we manage to raise more than our targeted number of meals, we will extend the food distribution to more camps.
“We would also like to take this opportunity, whilst visiting multiple camps, to raise second hand clothing for men, as there is always a great demand for these.
“We invite participation from other communities in Bahrain, corporate and social, as well as from the general public, so that we start to function as one network. Anyone is welcome to give a meal, share clothing or participate in the World Food Day Meal distribution.”
To donate meals (at 800fils per meal) or second-hand clothing for men, WhatsApp 33872346 for details or message @oneheartbahrain or @wecarebahrain on Instagram.
The Pakistani Women’s Association Bahrain and its Youth Ambassador Programme is also running a food and refreshment drive on Sunday.
For details on how to support, follow @pwabahrain on Instagram.
