It is in the two annual campaigns carried out in supermarkets that one hears more about the Food Bank against Hunger of the Algarve (BACFAlg), but the truth is that there is «great work done throughout the year» and that there is no vacation. It is necessary to organize the food collected, as well as distribute it to the 120 assisted institutions in the Algarve. Times are not as bad as during the crisis years, but situations of need continue to exist in the region.
Upon entering the premises of the Food Bank, in Faro, you get a feeling of real tidiness. All foods are divided into zones: there is the frozen part, the meat part and one dedicated to the food that was collected in the last supermarket campaign.
Organization is the watchword, despite the hustle and bustle in the morning. Institutions' vans arrive and it is necessary to load them with food. One of them is at the service of the Parish Council of Conceição de Faro and it is Abel Romeiro who leads it.
“I have been doing this work every Tuesday for many years. I come to get the food, which I then take to the Parish Council», he tells the Sul Informação, while placing a pallet with biscuits, oil and yogurt in the trunk. It is from the Board that everything will then be distributed to the families.
Employee of the Board, Abel Romeiro says, without hesitation, that this is a service that he does "with pleasure", because the food he collects "is an important help for some families".
At the rear, Nuno Cabrita Alves, president of the Food Bank against Hunger of the Algarve, an institution that also has facilities in Portimão, coordinates all operations.
«There is a lot of work that is done throughout the year. Over the 52 weeks of the year, not only do we distribute the food collected in the two annual campaigns, but we also carry out daily food collection in supermarkets that are our partners», he explains to Sul Informação.
Currently, these supermarkets are Makro, Aldi, Lidl, Apolónia and Recheio and the truth is that this is already «an important source of supply and one that has been growing».
«We work with end-of-line products: that have not been sold or the period is about to end or they are not beautiful, but which are in conditions to be consumed. So, instead of going to waste, we use food to feed those who need it most», he says.
From Apolónia, for example, the Food Bank receives everything from fish to meat, including vegetables. Currently, the Food Bank has a fleet of three vehicles that make it possible to transport food at a controlled temperature throughout the region.
In total, there are 120 institutions that BACFAlg helps and everything is done on the basis of volunteers. “Our team is based on volunteer human resources. We have 20 to 30 people, on a permanent basis, during the week», explains Nuno Cabrita Alves.
One of the peculiarities of this Food Bank is the fact that it has four inmates working in an open regime. In other words: prisoners who leave prisons in the morning and return in the afternoon. There are also people with some kind of disability working, with a view to their reintegration into society, as well as long-term unemployed.
José Pinto is one of the volunteers who works on the premises of Faro of the Food Bank. “I've been here from the beginning. I'm a scout and I went for this because I see what's happening around me», he laments, in conversation with the Sul Informação.
Three times a week, he coordinates the deliveries. “It's a job I like and it's very important. We work all year round. It's good to highlight that», he says.
Even so, there is something that José Pinto is noticing more and more: «we have a lack of volunteers and I see this with very bad eyes».
For Nuno Cabrita Alves, this is really the “main problem” of the Food Bank. “We have a lack of volunteers for some warehouse shifts and also for administrative work. In total, we have 50 volunteers across the Algarve, which is not much. We needed another 10 or 15».
Despite this lack of personnel, BacfAlg is already able to distribute around «2 million kilos of food per year throughout the Algarve». The numbers are "high" and make it the 5th largest Food Bank in the country, out of a total of 21.
“Things have changed a little since the time of the crisis. We have about 16 thousand people supported, when, in the most critical period, we reached 23 thousand. There were very complicated situations at the time. I came to be confronted with desperate people», says, with sorrow, Cabrita Alves.
Volunteer work in the two annual supermarket collection campaigns is very important. But the person responsible for the Food Bank is keen to emphasize, once again, the importance of daily work.
«We have 90% to 95% of the Private Social Solidarity Institutions in the Algarve working with us. It is a task that gives me great personal satisfaction, because it allows me to help change the status quo. I am proud that the 16 Chambers recognize the importance of our work», he concludes.
Anyone who wants to be a volunteer at the Food Bank, just contact 289 872 456.
Photos: Pedro Lemos | Sul Informação
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