People wait in an open ground where free Iftar meals are distributed by a number of philanthropists. (Bottom) Volunteers making meal arrangement, an hour before Iftar time at a tent raised adjacent to Iskaan Mosque near Dabaab Street in Riyadh. The tent is receiving about 500 people on a daily basis. – SG photos by Shahid Ali KhanRIYADH - Philanthropists in Saudi Arabia are spending millions of riyals on free food and drink at Iftar – from small packets of dates and water, to full meals for fasting people. For the convenience of motorists, a packet of dates and a pre-packed containers of water are served at traffic signals. Also, full meals are distributed to fasting people at hundreds of tents set up across the city. As Maghreb prayer time approaches, which is the time to break fast, philanthropists have volunteers mobilized with Iftar packets for distribution. The volunteers are quick to approach motorists at traffic signals and hand over the date packet and water. The volunteers are trained to cover as many motorists as possible in the time it takes for the traffic signal lights to change. “Offering to break a person's fast at the right time is rewarding in Islam. It is irrelevant whether a fasting person is a manager or a menial worker. The basic objective is to serve fasting people, who are required to break their fast at the prescribed time, which is at the Maghreb prayer call,” said a philanthropist. The Iftar meals served at tents erected close to mosques and in open areas have a variety of food items including Saudi kabsa (a traditional meal of rice and chicken or meat), dates, fruit, fruit juice, and a bottle of water. This meal is enough for one fasting person. There are tents in Deera, Umm Al-Hammam and other districts that serve Iftar meals ordered from branded fast food chains. The Iftar packets contain broasted or roasted chicken and rice packed in aluminium foil and served hot. Some of the tents, located in populous areas of the city such as Batha, Manfouha, Gobaira and Hai Al-Wazarat can accommodate 500 to 1,000 people at a time. The volunteers working with the fast food chain and other restaurants arrive just before Iftar time and off-load the hot meals at the prescribed sites. Many people can be seen queuing up to receive the food packets. The entire process of distribution is well-organized. Fast food chain workers dressed in company uniforms can be seen delivering the food items from refrigerated vans and trucks. The staff at Grand Deera Mosque is quick to spread mats for hundreds of people sitting in rows. “We want to ensure that every person present at Iftar should get his share of the meal,” said one member of the organizing team at an Iftar tent in Ma'ather Street. According to organizers each meal, depending on the food items, can cost between SR10 and SR20. The philanthropists either hand over the money or order the food packets from restaurants for distribution. According to a member of an organizing committee, his mosque has a budget of SR600,000 for the free distribution of Iftar meals for the entire month of Ramadan. The free Iftar meals are a boon, particularly for those workers who earn only SR250 a month. “I have worked for a cleaning company for the past eight years, and Ramadan is a blessed month when I can enjoy a variety of food served free at the Iftar tents,” said Shaheenur Alam, a Bangladeshi national. He said he does not have to cook food during Ramadan because he attends a mosque that also offers free Suhoor meals (pre
