Today, Food Banks Against Hunger are promoting another food collection campaign, which ends on Sunday and involves more than 2,000 hypermarkets and supermarkets and 40,000 volunteers.
The campaign’s motto is “For more than 380 thousand Portuguese people, the best gift is your help”, in reference to the number of people supported with food last year through 2,400 social solidarity institutions.
Volunteers are making bags from the Food Bank available in the stores involved to anyone who wants to help those most in need, asking the associations to provide “non-perishable food items”, such as milk, preserves, olive oil, sugar, flour and pasta.
In addition to the food collection, the Ajuda Vale campaign is also taking place in supermarkets and on the website www.alimentestaideia.pt, which allows you to support the cause from home or even when you are outside the country.
“It is important not to forget that there are, unfortunately, people who need help to eat, especially at a time like Christmas, when the Christmas table is part of an idea of happiness that we like to see come true,” said the president of the Portuguese Federation of Food Banks Against Hunger, Isabel Jonet, quoted in a statement about the campaign.
In 2023, 25,759 tons of food were collected, a high number, but still insufficient to help everyone in need.
The 21 Food Banks operating in Portugal “distributed 24,262 tonnes of food (with an estimated value of 39.4 million euros), with an average movement of 97 tonnes per working day”, in the form of baskets or ready-made meals, according to data from the associations.