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ARCHIVED - National food bank appeal in supermarkets this week
This year the appeal also offers the facility to donate online or make a cash donation at the tills in supermarkets
Every day, 1.8 million people receive help from one of the 54 food banks in Spain, most of them using the network of 8,053 charities that work through the foodbank system to make sure that those in need don´t go without food due to their economic situation.
This figure represents an increase of 40% compared to before the outbreak of the coronavirus, as the crisis caused by Covid has increased the number of families at risk of poverty. This situation is not going to change in the short-term, indeed, the current spate of lockdowns and restrictions is already starting to impact on employment levels as more and more families face the prospect of their main breadwinner being made redundant for either a period of weeks or permanently.
This year the eighth edition of the “Gran Recogida”, the annual campaign to boost the stocks in food banks by asking members of the public to donate non-perishable foodstuffs, has been forced to itself adapt to the security and safety regulations imposed by the pandemic.
Normally volunteers man trollies in supermarkets to collect donations, but this year the number of volunteers is being cut back and restricted as the emphasis changes to collecting money instead of food products.
"We have had to reinvent ourselves to avoid food handling and crowds. That is why there will be fewer volunteers in the stores than in other years. By collecting money we can request that the supermarkets send us products based on the needs we have. Everything will come already classified and palletized ", explains Elena Doria, director of the press office of the Madrid Food Bank.
This year, volunteers will ask shoppers to add a small donation on to the value of their shopping, money which will be allocated to the food bank to draw down specific products from each supermarket chain. This will be taking place in supermarkets across Spain until Sunday 22nd November.
It is also possible to donate online via the website www.granrecogidadealimentos.org which will be operational until December 6th (just click the red button Donar).
The Spanish Federation of Food Banks (Fesbal) hopes to be collect a similar amount to the 20 million euros worth of produce they were given last year, which was 21 million kilos of non-perishable staple foods.
"It is the goal we have set ourselves to be realistic," says Doria, who nevertheless is hopeful that, given the circumstances, those expectations will be exceeded. "People are very supportive. During the confinement there were many restaurants, schools ... that when they had to close they gave us the raw material they had and there were also many donations from companies and individuals. Thanks to this we have been able to maintain the rhythm of distribution. If not, we would have run out of stock."
“Before the pandemic, in Madrid we were distributing one million kilos a month. Now that amount has doubled and we are close to two million," he said.
Here in Murcia nearly 30,000 people depend on the food banks for their daily needs and their number is increasing.
Between March and July 850,000 kilograms of basic foodstuffs were distributed in the Murcia Region, an increase of nearly 40% on the amount required last year.