• Hundreds of Amazon employees volunteered and worked with community partners to pack and deliver food boxes

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Amazon today announced that it will contribute more than one million meals to support families in need across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt during the Holy month of Ramadan. The donation programme, now in its second year, provides volunteering opportunities for hundreds of Amazon employees working alongside community partners to pack food hampers at Amazon’s Fulfillment Centres across the region. Leveraging Amazon’s scale, the company is supporting the community and delivering the hampers to those who need them most.

In partnership with the UAE Food Bank, Amazon will provide a combination of grocery supplies, packaging materials, services, and monetary donations. This will result in more than one million meals reaching underprivileged families in the safety of their homes.

Dr. Sayed Essam Al Hashmi: Head of Food Trade Control Section, UAE Food Bank Committee said, “It is our pleasure to partner with Amazon once again on this critical initiative. The UAE Food Bank’s mission is to help the people in need while reducing food waste. During the month of giving and helping others, we are proud to be able to contribute in such an important way. We feel very passionate about the work we do, and we value the partnerships we have with the private sector, with companies like Amazon who share the same passion and commitment, and are always keen to give back.”

Ronaldo Mouchawar, Vice President of Amazon Middle East and North Africa (MENA) said: “In the true spirit of the Holy month of Ramadan, we are proud to extend our support to the important work the UAE Food Bank does through the year. With our ability to innovate quickly, we are leveraging our experience in logistics and delivery to help to get more than one million meals into the hands of those who need them the most especially during the month of giving.”

The company is invested in creating initiatives that harness a spirit of innovation, determination, and passion within its people to strengthen the communities where its employees live and work.

Prashant Saran, Director of Operations for Amazon Middle East and North Africa (MENA) said: “Ramadan is a time for giving back to and supporting the communities we operate in. This is a responsibility we take very seriously across all levels of our organisation. Amazon has a long-standing commitment of working alongside community partners to find practical solutions to imminent problems, so we are delighted to continue supporting food charities across the region. We continue to provide opportunities for employees to give back to the community because we put their wellbeing above everything else.”

The donation initiative during Ramadan is a part of the company’s global community engagement pillar, Right Now Needs, that seeks to eliminate the impossible choices posed by poverty, homelessness, hunger, and natural disasters. This pillar is one of many in Amazon’s community engagement programme.

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About Amazon Operations

Amazon has created one of the world’s most advanced operations and fulfillment networks with thousands of sellers in the region benefitting from the company’s expertise in reliable delivery and customer service. Using Fulfilled By Amazon (FBA), small businesses and entrepreneurs can send their products to Amazon’s Fulfillment Centres. Once an order is placed, Amazon picks up, packs, and ships the order, provides customer service, and manages returns on behalf of the sellers.

Since its launch in the UAE, the company has been introducing several new service offerings to continuously enhance the customer experience. Amazon Prime brings the speed and convenience of same-day and next-day delivery to UAE customers. ‘Subscribe & Save’, an innovative service, allows customers to schedule automatic deliveries of everyday essentials. Amazon Home Services is a marketplace which offers customers more than 70 on-demand professional services from the comfort and safety of their homes.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Amazon strives to be Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company, Earth’s Best Employer, and Earth’s Safest Place to Work. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Career Choice, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, Alexa, Just Walk Out technology, Amazon Studios, and The Climate Pledge are some of the things pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.