A new charitable initiative known as ‘Kuwait’s Benevolent Refrigerator’ carried out by Kuwaiti citizens has drawn significant support among communities in various cities in the Gulf State.
According to a report by the Kuwait Times, the initiative has had citizens voluntarily set up ‘benevolent refrigerators’ in front of their residences to be a place of support for the needy, an act that is particularly observed during the holy month of Ramadan, and to address the surplus of food prepared for large gatherings and events such as parties and weddings.
‘Benevolent Refrigerator’ Drives Humanitarian Support among Kuwaitis
Instead of disposing excess food, citizens extend help to the poor and needy by leaving them inside accessible refrigerators without waiting for a reward or thanks.
The refrigerators spread from Khalidiya, Shamiya and Nuzha to Yarmouk, Omariya, Fintas, Sulaibikhat, Ardiya, Jahra and Andalus to Farwaniya, Surra and Adan. The refrigerators, with the support of the Kuwait Food Bank and volunteers who help distribute these resources, are one of the fators why Kuwait is considered one of the best countries for the 2018 hunger index overseen by the International Food Policy Institute of the United Nations.
According to Namshan Al-Namshan, a former adviser to the Minister of State for Municipal Affairs, the refrigerator is a space of good will and humanitarian relief efforts conceptualized by his neighbour, Ali Al-Sanea, to collect the surplus of food for the needy. This eventually drew support from their neighbours when they started to pitch in the project. Namshan also emphasized that the food supplied in the refrigerators are not scraps or leftovers, but the main meal of the household.
The humanitarian initiative has also drawn attention as a practical solution for food wastage in the city as pointed out by Farwaniya Mayor Mutlaq Al-Mi’asib.
Al-Mi’asib further explained that by supporting the generous cause, there will be a significant reduction in the proportion of food wasted as it will also help in the manufacture of organic fertilizer from the inevitable food.