Food drives were staged at over 2,000 supermarkets from north to south of the country, in an effort to make the festive season that little bit easier for those in need.
The national food bank president Isabel Jonet thanked those who donated, and volunteers saying: “We are grateful to the many thousands of food donors, to all the volunteers and to the countless companies and entities that have made this campaign possible, thus again making an invaluable contribution that allows the Food Banks to continue to help many of our most needy fellow citizens.
While the results announced at the start of the week were still provisional, as an online campaign was still ongoing, Ms. Jonet described the initial tally as “very positive”.
The head of the national food bank described the results as “astounding solidarity demonstrated once again
by so many people who are sensitive to the needs of
many families who do not
have sufficient resources to meet all the needs of their household”.
The food collected will be distributed as of next week to 2,600 Social Solidarity Institutions, which will deliver them to about 400,000 people with proven food shortages, in the form of hampers or cooked meals.
A voucher donation and online donation campaign (www.alimentestaideia.pt) are ongoing until 9 December.
The national food bank – Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome – stages two countrywide drives per year, at Christmas and Easter.