on the occasion of World Food Day and on its third annual food waste awareness event, Act4Tomorrow with the collaboration of the internationally renowned Chef Hussein Hadid, Souk El Tayeb, Spinneys and Tanmia have come together today to provide over one thousand hot meals for underprivileged families.
Act4Tomorrow founder and President Mrs Paula Abdel Hak who has worked tirelessly for the past three years for the Law 183 in an effort to fight food waste explained:
“ The law is both a cornerstone and a milestone in Lebanon’s journey to achieve the UN SDGs (United Nations Sustainability and Development Goals ) It also is a roadmap for all food-related businesses to donate discarded yet perfectly consumable food instead of it ending in disposal bins.
In these very difficult times, putting food on the table is one of the main concerns for families. Rescued food provides food assistance to the underprivileged. We should all change our attitude towards food waste and reconsider how we deal with it.”
In May 2020 the Law “Ta7fiz wahb Al Ghiza2” قانون وهب الغذاءwas passed.
Chef Hussein Hadid having cooked and prepared over 1,100 hot meals and desserts in his kitchen said “when I cook for a cause like this I am happy because I am not only contributing to my community but also helping raise awareness about the importance of giving. I encourage every Lebanese to give from the heart to those less fortunate. Together we can also help reduce food waste in Lebanon by changing our behavior from the farmer to the consumer”. Chef Hussein has supported Act since 2017 and will continue to help raise awareness with the hope to encourage other similar sustainable initiatives that support Lebanese communities around Lebanon.
Today all partners came together at Souk el Tayeb in solidarity to feed underprivileged families, fight hunger and raise awareness about food waste, especially in the dire economic situation that Lebanon is facing. The event took place at the heart of Mar Mikhael with all the symbolism that it carries in one of the worst hit areas of the Beirut blast and came as a stand of unity to give back to the community.
The hot meals were packaged on site by a group of individual volunteers from the civil society, AUB nutrition society students, influencers and public figures. Several NGOs were invited to collect the meals and deliver them to families in need- among them: Offre Joie, Caritas, Bonheur Du Ciel, Achrafieh 2020 and AL Ghina Association while Chefs for Lebanon with Tina Wazirian have prepared the salads from rescued vegetables to accompany the hot meal.
Spinneys and as part of their CSR program have been a partner with Act since the beginning through the donation of ingredients and vegetables each year for their World Food Day event.
“I credit my grandmother for teaching me to love and respect food. To make sure I used every bit of the chicken” Said Tanmia’s CEO Mr. Mario AKhras. He reaffirmed Tanmia’s commitment to the Lebanese people as a local food company by donating 300kg of chicken that went into the hot meals. Tanmia is fully aware that “Lebanon hunger is on the rise. In Lebanon nearly 30% of all edible food is wasted. The problem is food waste” concluded Mr. Akhras.
Today’s event was one of the best ways to celebrate World Food Day by sharing donated food, cooked with love for the people who need it the most. Together we can make a difference and today we did.
To help Act4Tomorrow with their journey, one meal at a time please donate to the following link:
www.Ac4tomorrow.just-help.org
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