After the Cantina Social, which since this Monday has been serving 20 meals a day, the Parish of Portimão Matrix now wants to open a social ATL, to welcome children from families "who are unable to have them in other institutions".
The announcement was made on Sunday by Father Mário Sousa, parish priest of Portimão, during the inauguration and blessing ceremony of the Cantina Social by the Bishop of Algarve, D. Manuel Neto Quintas.
Father Mário, in front of the hundreds of people who filled the hall located on the ground floor of the former building of the Caixa Agrícola de Portimão, where the various services of Cáritas Paroquial and the Scouts Group now operate, announced that, “whenever. It is possible to move catechism to the first floor of this building and release the house on Rua do Arco», the ATL will be created in this second space. "With the volunteer work of the parish community, we want to respond to this need more," he added.
"Four years ago, when so many desperate people began to arrive in the parish with a situation in which they had never seen themselves, of unemployment and some of them already suffering, naturally the Church could not remain insensitive." Caritas Paroquial was then founded, “which lives with the work, commitment and resources of each community” and which, “at this moment, helps more than 200 families every month, covering a universe of 700 people”.
Last year, added Father Mário, "in collaboration with the Food Bank against Hunger, we distributed 67 tons of food, 6000 items of clothing and 35 thousand euros of donations exclusively from the parish community" and, with the collaboration of Cáritas Diocesana, €8000 of house rents were paid "so people won't be evicted".
There is also the Solidarity Store, which now operates in the new premises of Cáritas Paroquial, on the ground floor of the former Caixa Agrícola building.
But, underlined the parish priest, “we feel the need to go further”, because “there are people, especially here in this old city centre, who spend days and days without a hot meal. These are people who, because of their age, illness, economic difficulties, are unwell».
The Cantina Social starts by serving 20 meals a day, occupying the premises of a small restaurant that was acquired by the Parish next to the Caritas building, and which cost 50 euros. The necessary investment did not stop there, as it was necessary to buy a cold room, which cost «almost 10 thousand euros» and is already installed in the basement of the building, in the food warehouse, where a walkway was also installed, to prevent volunteers have to go up and down the stairs loaded.
To ensure the preparation of daily meals, there are 33 volunteers who work there, out of a total of 90 volunteers who collaborate with Cáritas de Portimão. "Of course, more people need meals, but we have to extend our feet to the measure of the sheet."
Father Mário took the opportunity to thank the Parish Council for "the collaboration and commitment", manifested, for example, through the collaboration of the officials of the Council "in arranging all this."
But also Cáritas «will collaborate with a project of the Board called “Tão Perto de Ti”, in conjunction with the Volunteer Fire Department, which involves taking meals to the homes of those who cannot travel, as well as providing care for them. basic health care to this population, which at times is very much forgotten».
Álvaro Bila, president of the Portimão Parish Council, recalled that the creation of "a canteen in the center of our city was and is a project of this executive, so when Father Mário presented it, it was embraced by us from the very beginning." . Furthermore, he underlined that this is equipment that is intended "for all citizens, regardless of their religious orientation."
Stressing the “social function of all this,” Father Mário said: “People don't eat ideas, they are hungry every day. It will be up to the State to create measures that structurally resolve the situation, but we cannot tell people: “come next week”. People are hungry today and have to feed their children that day».
The Bishop of Algarve also referred to the question of the responsibility of the State. «Some people ask: Isn't this duty the responsibility of the State, some would even say, exclusively? Clearly yes. But it is not up to the State to substitute itself for what citizens can and should do. It is up to the State to harmonize, regulate and legislate, so that this service is provided», said D. Manuel Neto Quintas.
Also present at the ceremony was Isilda Gomes, mayor of Portimão, as well as all councilors, even those from the opposition (João Vasconcelos, from the Left Block, Nelson de Freitas, from the CDU, and José Pedro Caçorino, from the Servir Portimão coalition) , with the exception of councilor Pedro Castelo Xavier, today an independent, but elected by the PSD and who is part of the permanent executive.
President Isilda Gomes said that "it would be very good that we did not have to be here at this ceremony today, as that would mean that we did not have citizens suffering from the most basic need, which is food shortage."
"40 years after the 25th of April we still have people who are sick, who have no money to eat, to pay for medicines, to pay rent," lamented the mayor.
For this very reason, «noting the difficulty of the citizens», the City of Portimão created the «municipal emergency network, which today supports more than 800 families», integrating the work of Cáritas Paroquial.
«In the social area, at the Chamber meetings, we are always in agreement, we always vote in the same way», guaranteed the mayor. A statement that is not even entirely true and for some unusual reasons.
Recently, at the Chamber meeting where the exchange of the former Caixa Agrícola building, which belongs to the Municipality, with Church land was discussed, in order to guarantee the Parish permanent facilities to develop its social work, the proposal it was approved only by a majority, with one vote against. President Isilda Gomes and permanent councilors Joaquim Castelão Rodrigues and Ana Figueiredo, all elected by the PS, voted in favour, as well as the councilor of the Left Block, João Vasconcelos. Nelson de Freitas, of the CDU, abstained. And the only vote against belonged to Pedro Castelo Xavier, who is even part of the permanent executive…
The exchange proposal, approved by a majority in the Chamber, will now be submitted to the Municipal Assembly, where it should pass without any problems.
In the building of the former Caixa Agrícola, after the ETIC_Algarve school had already operated there, Cáritas is currently operating on the ground floor and in the basement, the scouts occupy the 2nd floor, while the 1st floor, now vacant, will be in brief used by the 800 children who attend catechism.
«This entire space will move, per week, more than 2000 people. It's a lot of people! It's good on a social level, but also to bring life to this historic center that is so abandoned», underlined Father Mário Sousa, at the inauguration of the Cantina Social.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues/Sul Informação
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