CAIRO, May 9, 2018 - Millions of Egyptians will get some relief during the coming Muslim holy month of Ramadan as charities plan to offer food aid to needy families. Volunteers have been busy preparing half a million staple food boxes for the poor. Others are preparing to set up 60 massive tents across the country to serve the iftar meals that follow dawn-to-dusk fasting during Ramadan. "We are giving out the largest box in Egypt," Sherif Azzouz, head of the volunteer network at Misr El Kheir, one of the charities involved, told Reuters. Each box weighs 25 kg (55 lbs) and contains 16 products, including rice, pasta, ghee, sugar, flour, orzo, wheat and tea. "This goes to all those who have been deemed eligible by Misr El Kheir and any of our partner charities, and are distributed in Upper Egypt, starting from Fayoum to Aswan, and also in some parts of the Delta," Mr. Azzouz said. He added that Misr El Kheir, working with other smaller charities, hoped to feed a total of 10 million fasting people across 22 of the country's 27 governorates. Food demand soars during Ramadan as families stock up on supplies, causing further price rises. Ahead of Ramadan, the Ministry of Supply said it was storing essential goods at state outlets and selling subsidised products to keep prices under control. "One of our larger contributions is around 3.5 billion Egyptian pounds ($198 million) worth of subsidised products that are available to 70 million citizens," said Mohamed Sweed, a Ministry spokesman. They include sugar, oil, rice and pasta. Ramadan is expected to start in Egypt on May 17 this year. The first day of the holy month often varies from country to country, depending on lunar sightings.
