Each day the Kingdom of Bahrain disposes of +400,000kgs of waste, which is a figure the Bahrain Food Bank is working tirelessly to reduce by feeding families in need.
Some 146,000 tons of food waste is discarded each year, which costs the Kingdom 95 million BD per annum. The Food Bank is trying to combat this problem by collecting and repackaging surplus food and distributing it to people in need.
The Food Bank is run by the Conserving Bounties Society (CBS), which is a non-profit, voluntary association licensed by the Ministry of Social Development. Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, the organization has provided meals for 10,000 individuals and 1,800 families. The meals are all packaged using surplus food from hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, markets, and events. Furthermore, the initiative has helped to reduce the volume of food waste that is sent to landfills, which causes significant harm to the environment.
Another pillar of the organization is limiting food waste, which is being addressed through a number of awareness campaigns. CBS aims to encourage citizens to avoid buying or preparing more food than is necessary, as well as saving surplus food and distributing it to people in need.
CBS was founded in 2014 and while it is a year-round project the holy month of Ramadan tends to be the society’s busiest time. If you would like to register to volunteer or donate, please contact +973-33-499-499.
If you would like to register for support, visit: www.bahrainfoodbank.com.