InstaShop’s donation program has raised AED 550,000 worth of groceries to aid families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic

Partnering with renowned charity organizations such as Dar Al Ber and Valley Of Love

---

---

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought daily life for most of us to a standstill. The fear of a disease spreading globally gripped hearts all over the world as country after country realised this was no longer just someone else’s problem. At a time like this, some members of society have chosen not to stand still, and have decided to use their resources to help the UAE community.
For InstaShop, a homegrown marketplace on demand delivery app, the fight began in May 2020. It was the Holy Month of Ramadan and the pandemic life was a few months in, InstaShop had been receiving inquiries from their users in the UAE about ways to donate groceries to those most affected. Inspired by the solidarity and care being displayed by the community, they launched their first donation program in May. Users of the InstShop applications were given the option to donate grocery boxes through the app itself. The drive was a resounding success where over 3000 grocery boxes were donated by citizens of the UAE, helping InstaShop raise over half a million dirhams in value. These boxes were then distributed to those severely impacted by the pandemic, in an effort by InstaShop and their partners - two local charities, the Dar al Ber Society and Valley of Love.
The Dar al Ber Society and Valley of Love both played key roles in making this drive a success. They were the enablers that took the generosity and will of the people and turned it into reality by physically ensuring the grocery boxes reached those in need. The Dar al Ber Society helped donate AED 350,000 worth of groceries. Faris Al Hammadi, Manager of communication at Dar al Ber Society says "In these hard times of the pandemic, it has been proved that technology plays an essential role in daily life. InstaShop has offered the donation option on their applications and with their partnership with us and generosity of their users, we have managed to raise AED 350,000 worth of groceries to distribute to people in need."

Valley of Love also played an essential role, by helping distribute over 500 grocery boxes to labor camps and families woe-stricken by the pandemic. Garth Mitchell, Coordinator of Valley of Love mentions "On behalf of Valley of Love, I would like to thank InstaShop and its generous customers for these food kits that we are distributing on a weekly basis to distressed families in the UAE. Many of them have lost their jobs and have no money to pay rent; they send their wishes and thanks to everyone who has contributed to make this donation program successful."
Aside from these, the passionate InstaShop donation program also delivered 500 of the donation boxes to individuals who directly reached out to them for aid.

Ioanna Angelidaki, Founder & CMO of InstaShop, speaks of being inspired by the solidarity displayed by the people of the UAE who are themselves fighting against the spread of Covid-19. She said, "We are blessed to see it (the InstaShop donation program) having been a success and we sincerely thank our partners, Dar Al Ber and Valley of Love who enabled us and our users to give back to our community and help families in need."
Such displays of generosity and the drive to play an active role in fighting adversity showcase the strength of the human spirit. This has been a story of a business standing for the people and giving back to the community that has directly and indirectly supported InstaShop in its successes. InstaShop may have been introduced to Dubai in 2015 as a grocery delivery app, but has since grown to onboard retailers such as pharmacies, butchers, pet shops and more.
They have become the leading company in the Grocery On Demand Delivery market in UAE, present in 5 countries and expanding, nominated for 3 consecutive years as one of the most promising startups in the Arab world by Forbes, and serving more than 450,000 users. It has been these very users that InstaShop tapped into this year to go on to become not just a successful business, but a pillar of the community, inspiring others too to do their bit for those less fortunate than them.

Find out more about InstaShop: InstaShop.com

• UAE
• Dubai