• Mohsen Sarhan: Our goal is to fulfill fundamental requirements to attain food security for those in need.

Cairo: The Egyptian Food Bank has announced the launch of 'Tekeya Al-Mahrousa' - a mobile kitchen to distribute hot meals in Egypt's streets, in a significant step towards providing food for the most vulnerable families. This initiative is part of the Egyptian Food Bank's philosophy, targeting the largest number of beneficiaries across the country, aiming to promote humanitarian spirit and social solidarity among community members.

The concept of 'Tekeya Al-Mahrousa' traces back to the Ottoman era, where it served as a place to provide free meals for all people. The Egyptian 'Tekeya' in the Hejaz was one of the most famous, established in 1823 by Khedive Muhammad Ali, in both Mecca and Medina. This reaffirms Egypt's reputation as a land of generosity and charity. The decision to reintroduce 'Tekeya Al-Mahrousa' by the Egyptian Food Bank arises from the necessity to address fundamental humanitarian needs, helping the Egyptians and alleviating the financial burden some groups face in securing food regularly, by providing them with free daily hot meals throughout the year. The goal is to achieve food security, meet their basic nutritional needs, and improve the health status of Egyptians, thereby reducing the risk of chronic diseases associated with malnutrition.

Through 'Tekeya Al-Mahrousa,' the Egyptian Food Bank seeks to enhance social solidarity by encouraging individuals and institutions to contribute financially, with food items, or through volunteering in meal distribution. This fosters humanitarian spirit and social solidarity among community members, facilitating the Egyptian Food Bank's mission in implementing 'Tekeya Al-Mahrousa.'

“The Egyptian Food Bank's strategy focuses on diversifying activities and programs related to food, providing necessary healthy nutritious food to people as of different ages and needs.” Stated Mohsen Sarhan, CEO of the Egyptian Food Bank. “I hope that 'Tekeya Al-Mahrousa - the mobile kitchen' will achieve its goals by providing hot meals to people across Egypt, relying on the Egyptian Food Bank's resources, including its database containing numerous targeted people to receive the hot meals in alignment with our community-based organizations. In addition to our partners and volunteer’s database that helps with distribution across the year, aiming to improve the people’s health status and meet their basic nutritional needs for food security.” He added.

The implementation of 'Tekeya Al-Mahrousa - the mobile kitchen' by the Egyptian Food Bank aims to assist and facilitate the lives of people  by providing them with nutritionally healthy meals, aiming to meet the nutritional needs of the  families, especially as 'Tekeya Al-Mahrousa' seeks to provide over 68,400 meals monthly across 16 governorates across Egypt, including Cairo, Giza, Beheira, Dakahlia, Gharbia, Menoufia, Sharqia, Fayoum, Beni Suef, Minya, Assiut, Aswan, Giza, Menoufia, Red Sea, Sohag, and Qena.

The Egyptian Food Bank provides community-based organizations with dry food items necessary for meal preparation in their kitchens, comprising staple ingredients such as rice or pasta, meat or poultry, and vegetables. These meals are then meticulously packaged and readied for distribution to qualifying families through specialized outlets, serving diverse demographics including sole breadwinning women, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, migrant students, and transient populations and passersby.