The mayor of Albufeira launched the challenge to the commercial surfaces of the municipality to help those who most need it with food, this Christmas, and four responded in the affirmative.
Carlos Silva e Sousa visited Makro de Albufeira and Pingo Doce-Belavista last week, «to thank you for the positive response to the challenge you launched, in order to participate in the composition of baskets in this season of the year», announced the municipality Albufeires. Contributions also came from Apolónia and Recheio supermarkets.
Much of the help was provided by Makro, a retail area with 75 workers located in Guia, which offered 50 hampers, which were divided between AHSA – Associação Humanitaria Solidariedade de Albufeira and the Conference of S. Vicente de Paulo.
According to the director of Makro de Albufeira, "it was possible to gather seven products per basket, thanks to its awareness-raising action with companies and suppliers, but for the year this action will be greatly improved and prepared with more anticipation".
This is not, by the way, the only solidarity initiative that the company promoted, recently, in Albufeira. “Makro is aware of the plight of many people and the recent floods have also affected us, as downtown merchants make up a sizable slice of our customers; that's why we opened a credit line and we are refitting many of the houses that are eager to open before the end of the year», stressed Mário Campos.
Pingo Doce da Belavista, in turn, contributed with two food pallets, which were “packaged in hampers by the municipality's Social Action, which delivered them to needy families already identified by the services”.
“We could not refuse this request from the president, because we are not giving anything to the Chamber. We are, yes, helping those who really need it», according to José Barbosa, the person in charge of the commercial surface.
Carlos Silva e Sousa thanked the solidarity of the companies that made their contribution, but did not fail to express his surprise “at the silence of others”. «While there is a need, I do not give up asking those who have it, for those who lack even the elementary: bread on the table», assured the mayor of Albufeira.
From the supported IPSS comes the guarantee that this help already makes a difference. Although these are "few baskets for the many needs", Lurdes Meirinho, from AHSA, said he is very happy with the offer, since "in terms of solidarity, a few people's little makes a big difference to many."
Dores Correia, from the Conference of St. Vincent de Paul, considers that “this is the happy moment, that of receiving in order to be able to give and verifying that there are people in solidarity”. And he anticipated the delivery of these gifts, scheduled for the following day, which he described as "a moment of some hardship", taking into account the extreme difficulties that some of the supported families go through.
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