02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Ramadan in Dubai: Hollywood actor delays travel palns to pack, serve iftar boxes to workers
In the spirit of the giving month, US actor Terry Crews delayed his flight back home to distribute iftar packs in Dubai on the first day of Ramadan. The American actor, television host, and former football player joined The Giving Family (TGF) at a labour camp in Al Quoz on Saturday to help pack iftar kits.
"He was supposed to catch his flight on March 1, but when we told him about our iftar initiative, he delayed his return," said Zehra Rizvi, co-founder of TGF. "He stayed for almost 1.5 hours, helping us pack the boxes. He took the time to get to know the volunteers and spoke to the workers. He was really sweet."
In videos shared on social media, Terry was seen addressing the volunteers, sharing how "honoured" he was to be with them. "I am actually choked up," he said. "I want you to know that what you are doing here means so much to so many." He added that the volunteers reminded him of his family and praised the "amazing humanity" for building the community and city.
Began in 2017 as a small initiative to distribute meals among labourers, TGF has grown into a prolific iftar meal distribution movement that sees hundreds of people volunteering to give away thousands of meals every Ramadan. Last year, the group distributed over 7000 meals daily to workers in labour camps in Al Quoz.
Palestinian American Fadie Musallet, Canadian Zehra Rizvi and Algerian British Sabrina Rabhi are the co-founders of TGF. This year, the trio and their battalion of volunteers aim to distribute at least half a million meals.
Expanding operations
TGF, which usually distributes meals in labour camps in Al Quoz, has significantly expanded its operations this year. "We are conducting three meal distributions every day," said Zehra. "One is spearheaded by our volunteers, while the other two are corporate distributions. Combined, we are hoping to give away half a million meals this year."
She added that TGF has also started a new initiative where people can donate their gently used, pre-loved items to be distributed in the UAE. Working in collaboration with the Tarahum Charity Foundation, the group has three collection points across Dubai where people can drop off gently used, pre-loved items, including clothes and toys. "Our volunteers go through them carefully, package them, and then we distribute them," she said.
Some of the items are distributed in labour camps, while others are given to struggling families across the country. "The Tarahum foundation works to identify those in need and get the necessary items to them," Zehra said.
TGF has also set up a whiteboard called the 'dua board' at the labour camps, where volunteers and labourers can write the names of their loved ones who are sick or have passed away. "We donate 100 meals on their behalf and make dua for them," she added.
