In this period of emergency, Banco Alimentare distributed to charities more than 90 thousand tons of food. Only in Italy there are 10 million more people in a condition of poverty.
President of Banco Alimentare, Giovanni Bruno, explains that:
“We see average increases of 40% up to 70% in the need for food for Caritas and other charities. Last year we supplied 90,000 tons of food, if we bear in mind that we realize what this crisis could mean. We have to cope with pressing demands for food, but we do not have infinite resources. There has been a great response from companies and private individuals to initiatives such as “Spesa Sospesa”, but we are worried: if the food financed by EU funds does not arrive in early May we will be in trouble. Food companies no longer donate only surpluses but also part of normal production. We run the risk of arriving short of breath. The problem of respecting distances and safety measures makes everything more difficult. In fact, we have bought masks and gloves at a high price, at our expenses. But now we must stagger the vans, create Plexiglas dividers: all this has costs.”
Coordinating the collection and handling of huge quantities of food is a delicate task, especially in this period. It requires great experience and competence, as explained by a volunteer of Food Bank in Veneto: “Only in Veneto, we manage to handle 5,000 tons of food per year. We collect it from companies that are in overproduction or that donate it to us, from supermarkets, from private individuals, from the EU. Making it available immediately to charities and soup kitchens is our great, beautiful challenge“.
Original source on Corriere della Sera
