Donation of used goods in Ramadan made easier

This Ramadan, it will be easier to donate used clothes and books at a mall near you as a major mall group announced a new donation drive for the UAE residents during the holy month.

Six malls under the Majid Al Futtaim Group including the flagship City Centre in Mirdiff, Deira and Ajman will have donation points located across malls during Ramadan.

Shoppers coming to malls will be encouraged to bring their used clothes, books, reading glasses and even mobile phones for drop-off at designated areas. Collections made inside the mall will be handed over to the UAE Red Crescent.

Inviting people to ‘Make a difference this Ramadan’, the mall management joined hands with Shamma Hamdan, the first Emirati finalist of Arabs Got Talent. The young celebrity will visit malls and spread the word about the campaign, lending her newfound celebrity influence to promote the worthy initiative. Addressing the media, Shamma said she wanted to make a difference to the people of the UAE.

“The holy month of Ramadan is about embracing the values of giving, and I wanted to dedicate my time to a cause that made a worthwhile difference to my home country,” she said.

“Ramadan is a month of giving and we wanted to make it easy for people to donate their used goods while coming to shop. Making Shamma a part of this campaign will create a big difference as we hope to see more people come forward and participate in the charity campaign,” said Fuad Sharaf, Senior Director - Property Management for Majid Al Futtaim Properties.

Last year, the campaign had helped 4,000 families in the UAE as people from all walks of life contributed used goods. Some 24,040 bags were collected inside the malls and later distributed by the UAE Red Crescent.

Fuad stressed that people were being asked to bring only the specified type of goods and not any food items. “Last year we had a lot of books and such contributions help families. Sometimes we have seen people donate more than what we’ve expected and it is a wonderful feeling.”

Donation boxes will be located in the following malls across the UAE: Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Centre, Deira City Centre, Ajman City Centre, Fujairah City Centre and Sharjah City Centre.

• UAE