One of the wealthiest cities in the world has turned its attention to its poor population. Dubai is in the process of installing fresh bread dispensing machines that are available to the less well-off in society. And the major selling point – the bread is free!

In one of the biggest international cities, huge disparities in wealth mean that the poorer parts of the community often go without necessities. A new initiative by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Centre, the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy and the supermarket Aswaaq, aims to provide 24/7 access to fresh bread through the installation of fresh bread dispensary machines in supermarkets across the city. It’s called Bread for All, and that’s the goal at its core.

The Centre, which was founded by the leader of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has as one of its core visions to “augment social impact through innovative opportunities.” At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sheikh Mohammed said, “In the UAE, no one sleeps hungry or in need”, and Bread for All appears to be one more step on the road to achieving that goal.

According to Aswaaq, the supermarket chain where the machines have been installed, the new initiative “aims to aid underprivileged families and workers by providing fresh bread at various times of the day”.

All of the products contained in the machines are free of charge, enabling those who can’t afford this basic necessity to have access to bread.

“The idea is to go to disadvantaged families and workers before they come to us,” says the director of the foundation, Zeinab Joumaa al-Tamimi.

A total of ten machines are currently in place in Dubai supermarkets. A map on the Centre’s website shows the positions of the machines, which are evenly spread across the city.

As an added bonus, the Centre says, “The machines will also be able to collect donations from people who would like to support this initiative.”