Local community fridges increase solidarity, strengthen social bonds during Ramadan

AMMAN — Local community fridges and food drives contribute to increasing solidarity and overall welfare of society through spreading the joy of Iftar to the needy during the holy month of Ramadan.

“Community-led food initiatives promote community involvement, help reduce food waste, and strengthen the society,” Fadwa Shadi, a Jordanian philanthropist in her mid 50s,  told The Jordan Times over the phone on Saturday.

“My initiative is more of a hands-on approach to ensuring the needy have food to eat after a long day of fasting…it seeks to alleviate hunger and suffering of impoverished people.” She expressed.

Shadi and a number of other women in her neighbourhood cook iftar meals at home and distribute them to those in need in their communities. "They started their low-key work last Ramadan and are planning to involve more volunteers with the objective to help as much people as possible."

He also said that partnering and collaborating with local restaurants and eateries is another effective way to avail quality meals to people in need.

“As Muslims, we are obliged to help those in need, particularly during Ramadan…a special time to give back to the community.” She concluded.

Another community fridge project called “Thalajat Al Khair,” which runs a network of fridges across the Kingdom, is on a mission to channel surplus food to the people in need.

During Ramadan, people deliver different types of foodstuffs: non-perishable tinned and dried foods, cooked meals, fruits and vegetables.

The initiative’s co-founder Aya Sirriyeh, said that the initiative aims to rethink the way people value food, noting that “during the holy month of Ramadan we are expecting an uptick in numbers of people at community fridges,”