Two groups of Algarve citizens propose to collect the food that is left over at the end of the day in restaurants in the Algarve, to put it on the table of those who need it most. The «Re-food in the Algarve region» project will start in Almancil, municipality of Loulé and in Tunis/Algoz, in the municipality of Silves and will present itself to the population in seed meetings on April 11th and 12th, respectively.
This idea was launched in 2011 by Hunter Halder, an American based in Lisbon, who, «only with his bicycle and without any support», started to collect what would otherwise be waste and hand it over to needy people in your neighborhood. Those who participate in the April 11th and 12th meetings will be able to hear the story of this benefactor in the first person.
The meeting in Almancil is scheduled for 19:30 pm on April 11, at Escola EB2,3 Dr António de Sousa Agostinho. In Tunis/Algoz, the seed meeting will take place on April 12, at 18 pm, in the Auditorium of the EB2,3 School of Algoz.
Second revealed to Sul Informação Fátima Piedade, one of the promoters of the project in Tunis/Algoz, these meetings will essentially serve “to enlighten people”.
“We want to make the project known through the mouth of its founder. From there, we believe that there are people who want to join and become a volunteer», he said.
A fundamental question, as this is a project that is based on volunteering 100 percent. «We are already some, but the more we are, the better», illustrated Fátima Piedade.
At the moment, both groups are in the phase of recruiting volunteers and setting up work teams.
"Re-Food" presents itself as "an eco-humanitarian effort, 100 percent voluntary, carried out for and by citizens at the micro-local level, with the aim of ending hunger in local communities".
"At the same time, it seeks to end the waste of prepared food, strengthening local community ties", according to a note sent by the project "Re-Food in the Algarve region".
Pick up at restaurants to deliver to families
In practice, explained Fátima Piedade, the project's volunteers will seek to create a network of commercial establishments where they can collect food on a daily basis. «We are talking about cafes, patisseries, restaurants and hotel canteens. In hotels that serve buffet lines, at the end of the day, there is always a lot of waste», he illustrated.
After collection, the food is taken to the operational bases in Almancil and Algoz, where it is «separated by the different families, referred to by the parish council and by social security». Afterwards, they are «packed in all cold conditions, to be delivered the next day».
Delivery of food on the same day would be “virtually impossible”, namely full meals, as they are collected, in some cases, at a later time. «We will have two moments of collection. In the first one, we'll go to cafes and pastries, which usually close early, and we'll essentially collect bread and cakes. In a second moment, the collection is made in restaurants and hotels», he described.
Whenever possible, families will be supported to collect their food from the «Re-Food» operations centers. In the case of people who cannot, "namely the older population", there will be volunteers who will be in charge of delivering the food to them.
This idea, stressed Fátima Piedade, aims to be a complement to the solidarity projects that already exist and “does not interfere with anything”. In other words, a family that already enjoys other support, does not need to give it up, to benefit from «Re-Food», as long as it is referenced by the official entities that collaborate with the project.
Comments