Red Cross to distribute food aid
THE RED Cross is planning to distribute over 1,000 tonnes of food to disadvantaged people and families in Alicante province over the coming months.
The humanitarian NGO said this second phase of their 2020 food aid programme is ‘ very important, especially in the context caused by the Covid- 19 pandemic’, which has seen the number of people seeking this help increase by 20%.
It is a nationwide programme that is co- financed with 85% from the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived ( FEAD) and 15% from the national government.
The food is distributed equally by the Spanish Red Cross and the Spanish federation of food banks ( FESBAL).
In Alicante province, the
Red Cross is working with 89 organisations and supplying food to more than 35,200 people.
At the same time, FESBAL will do the same for the equivcontain
alent number of people in the province. The foods are basic, non- perishable products which are easy to transport and store.
This year, the ‘ hampers’ cooked beans, macaroni, fruit and vegetables in jars, tuna and sardine conserves, pork conserve, chocolate milkshakes, UHT milk, tomato sauce, biscuits, jars of fruit and chicken baby foods, and olive oil.
As well as the FEAD programme, aid has come from donations by businesses, public campaigns, and agreements with supermarkets and local shops.
Red Cross provincial president Francisco Galvañ emphasised ‘ the enormous good that the FEAD programme does’, as well as the increasing number of companies which make donations and collaboration of institutions and local authorities.
He also praised the work of the volunteers, whose ‘ solidarity and commitment make this possible’.