Foodblessed is a local hunger relief initiative run by a group of volunteers with a passion and will to fight hunger in Lebanon. They state: "our mission combines environmental and social responsibility. We work with strategic partners –including food and non-food companies- through recovering surplus food from events, organizing food drives, and fundraiser events to collect food (which includes surplus perishable food and non-perishable food items) and distribute it to local non-profit partners in need. While we help other non-profits, our efforts divert food wastes for reuse and better serve under privileged communities. A win-win-win model!" Foodblessed, a pioneering local hunger-relief initiative in Lebanon (and the region) was confounded in 2012. It addresses the issue of hunger in Lebanon via establishing a platform between the different parts of the society (namely Private and Civil Society) whereby Corporate Social responsibility and food salvage/rescue go hand in hand. Foodblessed’s mission is "feeding the hungry, one meal at a time!" by creating a nationwide sustainable network that connects relevant Socially Responsible Companies - such as restaurants, catering agencies and other food providers - with the Local Community –such as local citizens and NGOs – towards achieving its vision of a hunger-free Lebanon. "To this end, we focus on two major issues: food rescue and the CSR of food (and non-food) companies". Driven by the need to reduce hunger in Lebanon, in early 2013, foodblessed was awarded in 2013 the ‘CSR in Action’ Award for the category ‘Best Social Project on CSR’ by Al Ahli Group and Ecole Superior des Affairs. In over a year, foodblessed was able to benefit more than 4,000 people in need and counting with zero cases of food poisoning, was able to partner with more than 70 partners, participate as well as speak about its model in a number of local and regional conferences, and also to raise more than $30, 000 in in-kind (food and cash) from its partnerships, fundraisers, and donations.
