Families were able to support the less fortunate with donations as part of the #FestivalCares initiative

Festival Plaza built a special giant gift box, where visitors dropped off toys to share the joy this festive season with children who are less fortunate

Dubai, UAE, 17 January: Festival Plaza, part of Al-Futtaim Malls, and the Emirates Red Crescent have once again promoted generosity and compassion, while bringing the community together. As part of the #FestivalCares initiative, which encourages families to come together and do good for those in need, visitors donated 6000 pre-loved toys at an area with a large custom-built gift box during the month of November ahead of the festive season at the neighbourhood mall in Jebel Ali. 

To collect items, Festival Plaza built a special giant gift box where families dropped off toys for the charitable cause—helping make the magic of Santa real ahead of the festive season. In line with its #FestivalCares initiative, the Al-Futtaim Malls toy donation drive was a simple, an inexpensive way of bringing cheer to a child who would otherwise be going without this year.

Commenting on the mall’s community initiatives, Genevieve Colaco, Regional General Manager, Marketing & Customer Experience at Al-Futtaim Malls said: “We are pleased to have hosted another very successful community initiative in partnership with the Emirates Red Crescent. Visitors have consistently shown compassion and brought smiles to children in need by taking part in our numerous CSR drives. We are looking forward to more opportunities to bring joy and happiness, while actually making a difference through the customer experience.”

The partnership with the Emirates Red Crescent comes under the umbrella of Festival Cares, Al-Futtaim Malls’ CSR programme which looks to engage with communities, support tenants and retailers, and connect with customers. Emirates Red Crescent is a volunteer humanitarian organisation that supports official authorities in times of peace and war.

As part of Festival Cares, Festival Plaza Mall has held other activations throughout 2021 for a good cause. In September, the mall installed a special Tree of Knowledge Book share point at the mall for shoppers to donate previous reads and school supplies. After just two months, the community mall had donated more than 5,010 books to Emirates Red Crescent to distribute among children in need.

In May 2021, on occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, Festival Plaza donated 200 meals through a partnership with the UAE Food Bank. For every person who took part in the ‘Iftar for Good Dinner Series’ at any of mall’s participating restaurants, the community hotspot donated one meal to the Bank—an initiative which successfully echoed the spirit of the month. 

Located at Jebel Ali and in close proximity to Al Furjan and Jebel Ali Village, Festival Plaza is also minutes away from Marina, The Palm, JLT, Jumeirah Park and Islands, Tecom and Discovery Gardens. The mall offers great discounts across its retail stores and a complimentary shuttle bus service every 20 minutes from the Energy and Ibn Batutta metro stations, as well as Ibn Battuta RTA bus station; a hala pick up point is located outside the community mall entrance.