Volunteer numbers surpass expectations JEDDAH – Some 500 volunteers gathered at the Jeddah International Exhibition and Convention Center on Madina Road Thursday to offer their services to the victims of the Jeddah floods. “About 4,000 packages are being handed out each day to the families containing food, home appliances and school materials,” said Ahmad Al-Harbi, a volunteer representing Al-Birr Society. Al-Harbi said that the number of families in need was approximately 20,000. Sara Baghdadi of Services, Operations and the Warehouse at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce said that “magnificent” quantities of donations from private companies and individuals had been received. “The center takes in all kinds of donations, not just food and supplies, and makes sure they get to the victims,” Baghdadi said. “The great response from young men and women volunteers has surpassed all expectations. It's got to the point where we have had to put volunteers on a waiting list.” Baghdadi said that warehouses had been prepared in flood-hit districts for the storage of food to ensure correct distribution to those in most urgent need. Over 1,500 cartons of food and 2,000 boxes of household products have been handed out in the last few days, according to volunteer Rawan Abdel Ilah, distribution supervisor of household goods. “We also have 72 male and female volunteers working in sorting 1,000 boxes of household utensils,” Ilah said. Ilah said she expected the number of volunteers to continue rising.
