33,000 iftar meals in UAE daily: How two brothers run this massive operation in Ramadan
During Ramadan the Malawian brothers Imran and Mohammed Karim dedicate their time to serving others in the UAE. These two brothers serve thousands of blue-collar workers and faithful people across the country during iftar time when others prepare meals with their families.
Their initiative Happy Happy UAE serves more than 33,000 free iftar meals every day at multiple locations such as labour camps and mosques.
200 kitchen staff, 350 volunteers
A large-scale meal distribution operation demands significant planning while requiring substantial manpower and resources.
Every day more than 200 kitchen workers and 350 volunteers put in over 700 man-hours to deliver meals to those who need them. The preparation for meals starts the night before as thousands of kilograms of mutton or chicken get slaughtered and delivered to the kitchen.
The preparation of food starts shortly after suhoor in the early morning. The kitchen staff prepares over 30,000 hot meals by noon which triggers the start of large-scale packing operations that initiate after 1 pm Dhuhr prayer.
The distribution process includes 15 trucks transporting packed meals along with 32,000 laban packets, 40,000 water bottles, 6,000 kilograms of fruit, and 500 kilograms of dates to multiple destinations throughout Dubai and Sharjah.
MSS volunteers play an essential part in distributing thousands of iftar meals throughout the UAE to people who need them. The organisation hosts more than 200 volunteers each day who help deliver meals to labour camps and mosques by working together with various teams.
Annual leave in Ramadan
During Ramadan every year Imran Karim leaves his usual business responsibilities to personally manage this initiative. He starts his day at 11 am coordinating kitchen operations with suppliers and finishes at 3 am the following day. After performing his night prayers he takes suhoor and completes fajr prayers before sleeping for four hours to prepare for his daily Ramadan routine.
Throughout Ramadan the demand for support increases and our dedication becomes stronger. "We reach more than 30,000 people daily this year," Karim announced.
Vision for 2025
The brothers have ambitious goals. The organization served 10,000 meals per day during its initial Ramadan in 2015 and has since grown to three times that size. Their goal for 2025 is to deliver two million meals.
An initial small kindness gesture has expanded into a mission to help millions of people. Our team plans to deliver two million meals during the year 2025 according to Mohammed.
‘Look forward to meals’
Ahmed Khan, a construction worker from Pakistan, expressed his gratitude for the initiative, saying: Our days end with these meals which we eagerly anticipate after completing work. The food is important but knowing someone cares for us means even more according to Khan.
The volunteers and Imran show us respect and kindness which makes us feel appreciated. Khan emphasized that the initiative benefits thousands of his coworkers who would find it difficult to afford iftar without this support.
The brothers' initiative attracted Mohammed Irfan who felt happiness upon meeting them after hearing about their work. Irfan expressed that meeting Imran in person was unforgettable although he had already heard so much about his remarkable work.
He welcomed us with a kindness that made us feel like we belonged to his own family. Irfan expressed his gratitude and inspiration upon witnessing such dedication to serving others.
Year-round commitment
The brother provides daily meals to thousands of workers every day throughout the entire year unlike many charity initiatives which operate only during Ramadan. Their mission combines ongoing charitable actions with meaningful life changes for their beneficiaries.
“We don’t just serve food. Our work creates a supportive community dedicated to caring for one another. Imran emphasized that every meal distribution brings us closer to building a better future.
Their initiative began in 2015 and has since delivered eight million food packs to Dubai and additional millions worldwide. An initial small gesture of kindness by employees has transformed into a vast humanitarian operation which affects numerous lives.
The act of giving back requires continuous dedication throughout the entire year instead of being limited to specific seasons. We operate our meal service every day of the year because acts of kindness shouldn't have any boundaries,” Mohammed explained.
Comments