Dubai Police is joining hands with international private equity firm Berkeley Assets to provide Iftar dinners for 10,000 labourers on Friday on the occasion of Laylatul-Qadr.

With officers from Al Qusais police station handling traffic control and logistics, company management, staff and more than 100 volunteers will serve up the dinners at the Sonapur labour camp to mark one of the holiest nights of the year for muslims.

“We want to make this a meal that the labourers will remember, and we couldn’t do it without the fantastic support and encouragement we’ve received from dubai police,” said Omar Jackson, partner at berkeley assets.

More than 2,500 chickens and 4,000 kilos of rice will be used for the biryani meals in one of the biggest ever Iftar dinners served up by a private sector company in dubai. With seating for 5,000, another 5,000 labourers will go home with meal boxes also containing dates, laban and water.

“We were motivated by a close friend who has been serving Iftar meals throughout Ramadan, and last friday joined her and other volunteers and other supporters to deliver 1,500 meals in Al Quoz,” said Jackson. “Afterwards, we decided to do something ourselves on another scale, because it’s important to give back to the local community, especially at this time of year.”