JEDDAH, 12 May 2007 — The Charitable Warehouse, a leading Makkah-based charity, has decided to change its name to “the Association for Social Assistance,” according to Yahya ibn Attiyah Al-Kenani, director of the organization.
“Our board of directors has already approved the new name,” he said.
The charity distributes food baskets among 1,400 needy families in the city every month. “Each basket of food costs about SR150,” Al-Kenani said, adding that the cost of each basket would increase to SR200 during Ramadan with additional supplies.
Al-Kenani said the charity works hard to reach out to people who genuinely need help. “We have noticed that most people who come to the Warehouse seeking assistance are not actually poor,” he said, adding that the charity seeks to support people who do not have any source of income, including social welfare handouts and pensions.
The Warehouse, which was established 12 years ago, distributes only foodstuff, not cash, to the poor and the needy.
It has established a packaging factory with a capacity to pack more than five million meals. It has also set up a laundry to clean used clothes and a workshop for the maintenance of its vehicles.
