Delivered Social renaissance

Jarrah Charity Kitchen

A generous hot meal for the families most in need, cooked by volunteers, 7 years without a break

A dignified meal on the table… and the value of service in the volunteer's heart

The idea in one sentence

A volunteer kitchen that prepares and distributes complete hot meals to poor and marginalised families twice a week all year round, and full iftar meals every day in Ramadan, run from a scout centre by young volunteers.

The problem

Hunger is widening

The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis projects that about 1.24 million people in Lebanon – nearly a quarter of the population analysed – will face crisis levels of food insecurity or worse between April and August 2026.

Prices eat into income

Inflation and rising food and fuel prices erode purchasing power, so a complete hot meal has become a burden for many households.

Needy families with no support

In working-class neighbourhoods such as Tariq al-Jadida, poor families and marginalised groups need regular support that protects their dignity, not occasional seasonal aid.

Sources: Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) – Lebanese Ministry of Agriculture, FAO and WFP (April 2026)

Target groups

  • Poor and needy families in Tariq al-Jadida and neighbouring districts of Beirut.
  • Marginalised groups most exposed to food insecurity.
  • Fasting people from families in need in Beirut and Tripoli during Ramadan.
  • Young scout volunteers who learn the values of service and responsibility by doing.

Methodology

  1. 1 – The weekly meal

    Twice a week, 400 hot meals each time (800 a week). Each meal consists of the main dish of the day, a loaf of bread, a cup of laban and a piece of fruit.

  2. 2 – Ramadan iftar

    Every day for the whole month: 400 full iftar meals in Beirut and 250 in Tripoli. The meal adds soup, fattoush, juice and a Ramadan sweet.

  3. 3 – The volunteer work cycle

    A team of 8 volunteers works about 10 hours each time: preparing and cooking, then packing, then handing over to beneficiaries, down to cleaning the kitchen and closing the shift.

Success factors

Proven continuity

7 years of uninterrupted work built the trust of families and donors and turned the kitchen into a fixed appointment that families wait for.

An existing base and team

The kitchen operates from the Jarrah Scouts centre, which provides the space and a trained volunteer team at no extra operating cost.

A complete, dignified meal

A main dish with bread, laban and fruit, served regularly in a way that preserves the beneficiary's dignity.

Targets and impact indicators

  • 800Hot meals a week (Beirut)
  • 7Years of continuous work
  • 400Iftar meals a day in Ramadan – Beirut
  • 250Iftar meals a day in Ramadan – Tripoli
  • about 19,500Total Ramadan meals (both cities)
  • 160Volunteer hours a week
  • 8Volunteers in each work shift
  • about 2,400Volunteer hours in Ramadan (Beirut)

Operating figures from 7 years of continuous delivery, not targets.

Challenges and how we address them

Rising food and energy pricesWiden the base of regular donors and build partnerships with local suppliers and traders to secure ingredients at lower cost.
Growing need against limited capacityPrioritise the neediest families through beneficiary lists updated regularly with residents and neighbourhood committees.
Pressure on volunteers in RamadanRotate volunteer teams and divide the tasks (cooking, packing, delivery) to ease the load and keep the work going.

Lessons the project is built on

  • We learned that regularity matters more than size: a fixed appointment twice a week builds a trust that no large one-off campaign can.
  • Service is a school for the volunteer: every hour in the kitchen is a practical lesson in responsibility and teamwork.
  • Our advice to anyone who wants to follow the same path: start from an existing base and the volunteers you already have, commit to a fixed schedule, then grow gradually.

Why it deserves to be showcased

Lasting impact

7 years without a break, with local and volunteer resources.

Transferable

A simple model that any scout or civil association can apply from its own premises.

Combines relief and education

It meets an urgent food need and, at the same time, builds a generation of young people who live the value of service.

Sustainable Development Goals

  • 22.1 Zero Hunger
    Goal 2: Zero Hunger

    End hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round

  • 11.2 No Poverty
    Goal 1: No Poverty

    Reduce at least by half the proportion of people living in poverty in all its dimensions

  • 1717.17 Partnerships for the Goals
    Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

    Encourage effective public, civil society and private partnerships

Goal 2 because the kitchen serves a regular hot meal to people facing food insecurity; Goal 1 for steady support to poor and marginalised families that preserves their dignity; Goal 17 for the partnership with Jarrah Scouts and the volunteer team.

More projects

Launching

Al-Inmaa Center for Training & Empowerment (Bunyan)

Productive training: from trainee to producer earning an income

The Foundation's training and development arm: four training bags, a digital agency run by graduates, and accredited certificates verified by QR code.

150 – 250trainees targeted in year one
48917
Ready to implement 2026–2027

The Community Leader

A programme preparing young leaders to design community-service projects and measure their impact

40 training hours, then a real service project in each region, impact measured before and after, and a showcase day for partners and municipalities.

40young leaders qualified (target)
4111617
Ready to implement 2026–2027

Bayt Muntij (A Productive Home)

Empowering homemakers to earn an income from home through digital skills

Discover the skill, then 6 weeks of hands-on phone-based training, then a collective digital showcase under the “Bayt Muntij” name and six months of monthly follow-up.

60women trained (target)
158