Lebanon faced an unprecedented economic crisis in 2020, with a precarious and unstable financial situation. Many people lost their jobs, while others saw their salaries reduced by over 50% due to the devaluation of the Lebanese pound against the dollar. This led to a situation where people struggled to afford basic necessities. The financial crisis also exacerbated the plight of refugees in Lebanon. Poverty levels in the country have more than tripled over the past decade, now affecting 44% of the total population, as per a recent World Bank report from May 2024. Households have been forced to adopt various coping strategies, including cutting back on food and non-food expenses, as well as reducing health expenditures, with potentially severe long-term consequences. The situation was further compounded by the ongoing war in 2024, which has worsened conditions for villages, families, and livelihoods, reaching a critical point.

Since 2019, we have been implementing food security projects to address hunger in Beirut, Beqaa, and South Lebanon, targeting approximately 87,523 vulnerable Lebanese, Palestinian, and Syrian families. Our primary goal is to provide food assistance to those in need while also contributing to economic development in the intervention areas. The selection of less fortunate families is based on criteria outlined by the Ministry of Social Affairs and our own employees conducting field visits to assess factors such as family size, parental presence, and financial and health conditions. During the war period, FPOC established a kitchen to provide meals, including main dishes and salads, to Palestinian and Lebanese displaced families residing in six shelters and two camps in Beirut who lack cooking facilities.

Within our food program we implemented a number of projects intitled: Ramadan food project funded by Community Care Kitchen – Australia; “Matbakhna” project and the “Mouneh” project and “food safety project” and “emergency project during the war” funded by KinderUSA; food distribution in coordination with UNHCR. We included in these projects the bellow components:

Our ingredients were purchased locally like small shops and farmers. We gave a special attention to hygiene, to including different bodies nutrients needs, to the packing, and to providing fresh and hot meals.

As our mission is to contributing in enhancing communities’ members skills and making them factors of change in their local communities.  The cooker and delivery working in this program were from the local communities, we gave priority to women and youth in order to empower them and to facilitate job creation.

• Food preparation and cooking initiative launched during Ramadan (since 2019) extended for several months due to high demand. In addition to the Ramadan projects, food distribution continued during the 2024 war. The team provided fresh and hot meals consisting of salads and fresh vegetables (tomato, cucumber, onion, lemon, green, parsley, mint, lettuce), a main dish of rice, pasta or grits, nuts, sauce or yogurt with meat or chicken, bread and fruits (apple and orange)
• We distributed Maamoul Eid on the last day of the month of Ramadan. 800 families.
• Food pantry “Mouneh”: Preparing food supplies for the “Mouneh” for 600 families. The Mouneh usually last until spring, when snow-covered fields and roads the Mouneh would be accessible again; the importance is that the materials last for a year without needing a refrigerator, and some do not need to be cooked. “Mouneh” is the practice done naturally according to availability during each season, and seasonal food is made through various techniques that depending on the product:
-Drying baskets and trays hanged on the balconies or the roofs. This practice is used on various vegetables, and sometimes with meat.
-Packing in oil. This practice is used on various vegetables include dried labneh, dried eggplants (Makdous).
-Preserving putting large pots of mashed produce boiling over wood-fire, making jams, jellies and pastes. This practice is used on fruits such as apricots and figs as well as some vegetables such as tomatoes and chili peppers.
-Pickling mostly with the use of vinegar. This practice is used on various vegetables, like cucumbers, onions, carrots, cauliflower, chili peppers, turnip and beetroot.
-Brining – soak or preserve in salty water.
-Distill flower – roses …
• Distributing food: a portion of food material (rice, oil, lentil, canned food…) per family for 835 families.
• Organizing evening activities: we organized celebration of Eid Al-Fitr with the participation of groups of 160 vulnerable Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian kids, mostly orphans. The events included clown shows, dances, songs, lunch, and gifts.
• Providing awareness about hygiene and food safety to 30 women.

And the most important is that we cared about is to respect dignity of our beneficiaries.