Dubai, UAE – Building on a successful six-year partnership with Emirates Red Crescent, McDonald’s UAE has launched a new ongoing donation initiative with the Red Crescent Medical Center aimed at providing free healthcare services for over 3,000 patients in need monthly within the UAE.

Customers can contribute to this initiative by donating at the self-ordering kiosks during their next visit to any McDonald’s restaurant in the UAE, or by donating Rewards Points through the McDonald’s App, where every 100 Rewards Points equal AED 1. Every contribution will directly support the Red Crescent Medical Center's mission of providing free healthcare to those in need.

Established in 2008 by Emirates Red Crescent, the Red Crescent Medical Center is the only medical center in the UAE providing free healthcare to people in need, regardless of their nationality, age, or gender. Located in Al Ramla West in Sharjah, the medical center provides free healthcare services across more than 18 departments, including general surgery, pediatrics, internal medicine, radiology, and much more.

The Red Crescent Medical Center not only provides healthcare services but also has a dedicated pharmacy that offers essential medication to those in need, as well as medical equipment such as wheelchairs and more. The medical center operates on community support and donations. The more donations they receive, the more doctors they can provide, the more medicine they can acquire, and the more medical equipment they can offer.

Walid Fakih, CEO at McDonald’s UAE, spoke on the announcement, "As a local business that has been operating in the UAE for three decades, supporting those in need has always been at the heart of our promise to the community. It is an honour to be extending our partnership with Emirates Red Crescent and to further support the Red Crescent Medical Center, with the help of our generous customers.”

He added “Emirates Red Crescent plays a huge role in positively impacting the local community, and we will continue to work closely with them to support in any way we can. Through this ongoing initiative, we hope to support people in need and amplify the efforts of the Red Crescent Medical Center.”

Director of the Red Crescent Medical Center, Dr. Mohammad Salem Al Junaibi, also commented, “We are grateful to be further cementing our impactful partnership with McDonald’s UAE to support the Red Crescent Medical center. The continued donations are vital and will help to support up to 3,000 patients monthly, while also allowing us to welcome an average of 500 new patients each month. Following previous initiatives, this move reiterates the value of such platforms in promoting ongoing charitable giving, and our commitment to tackling local humanitarian challenges.”

Working hand-in-hand with Emirates Red Crescent to support its local humanitarian aid efforts across the country, McDonald’s UAE has donated over AED 4 million to date, with its employees also participating in regular volunteering. The new initiative builds upon a history of successful campaigns, including the McDonald’s UAE 2024 Ramadan points donation drive, which saw AED 300,000 donated to the Red Crescent Medical Center.

Donations are now being collected at all McDonald’s restaurants in the UAE and through the McDonald’s App, directly funding medical care for up to 3,000 patients each month.

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About McDonald’s UAE:

Operating in the nation since 1994, McDonald's UAE caters to the local community across more than 200 restaurants, geographically located to service customers in many areas. McDonald’s UAE is committed through its food safety promise, to maintaining the highest quality of products served at each restaurant, and across its McCafé offering. In 2024, McDonald’s UAE was named as the first best workplace in the UAE by Great Place to Work.

McDonald’s UAE prides itself on being a local member of the community and has been committed to its role as a responsible corporate citizen since its arrival to the nation. Following an active social responsibility agenda, it is a long-standing partner of Emirates Red Crescent supporting its charitable and humanitarian initiatives.

To further contribute to the wellbeing of the communities, creating wider environmental benefits, McDonald’ s UAE and Emirates Environmental Group work in tandem to spread green values and bring to life sustainable initiatives, reducing the nation’s carbon footprint. Driving this is the launch of its biodiesel initiative in July 2011, which sees 100% of McDonald’s UAE’s used cooking oil collected from restaurants and converted into 100% biodiesel, in turn powering the company’s logistics fleet. As a result, the trucks have travelled over 23.6 million km on 100% Biodiesel since the partnership began, saving over 25 million kg CO2e emissions.

For further information about McDonald’s UAE please visit: www.mcdonalds.com or contact Weber Shandwick on McDonaldsuae@webershandwick.com