María Rivas oversees the first phase of food delivery that the government makes the most vulnerable people through the Food Aid Program

The subdelegate of the Government in A Coruña, María Rivas, today approached the warehouse that the Rías Altas Food Bank has in San Xosé, to supervise the first phase of the delivery of food that the Government makes to the most vulnerable people through the Food Aid Program of the Ministry of Agriculture.

In this first phase, as the subdelegate said, in the province of A Coruña more than 196 thousand kilos of food will be distributed in the amount of 325 thousand euros. In the whole of Galicia 700 thousand kilos will be distributed in the value of 1.14 million euros.

All food is deposited in authorized distribution centers of which there is a total of 9 throughout Galicia and 3 in A Coruña. These warehouses are managed by the Federation of Food Banks and the Spanish Red Cross, which are the distribution organizations selected by the Ministry of Agriculture in our community.

In this first phase, approximately half of what is set aside for the province of A Coruña is managed by the Rías Altas Food Bank. In the warehouse of A Coruña 63,877 kilos are available and in the warehouse of Santiago, 34,393 kilos. The rest of the food is managed by the Red Cross. As for the type and quantity of products that will be distributed are the following:

The food of this first phase will serve to meet the needs of more than 15,000 people in the province of A Coruña, of 55,700 people throughout Galicia.

Now, from these warehouses, the food is being distributed to the distribution organizations that are responsible for delivering it to the most vulnerable people. In the province of A Coruña, 103 distribution associations will work in this phase, 423 throughout Galicia . These include the social services of local municipalities, associations and centres.

Food Aid Program

The Food Aid Programme is a national programme that distributes food to the most vulnerable people, co-financed by the European Fund for the Most Disadvantaged (FEAD).

This program includes the purchase of food purchased on the market, its supply to the storage and distribution centers of the distribution partner organizations (OADs), who distribute it among the authorized distribution partner organizations (OARs) so that, in turn, they deliver it at no cost to the most vulnerable people.

To this delivery are added accompanying measures, a set of actions aimed at promoting the social inclusion of the most disadvantaged people receiving food aid. All OARs will offer as a basic accompaniment measure information on the closest social resources.

In the same program in 2022, 1 million kilos of food worth 1 million euros were distributed in A Coruña in the two phases and 15,900 people in need were served.

The products purchased are of a basic nature, little perishable, easy to transport and storage. The types of foods included are: white rice, cooked chickpeas, tuna preserves, alimentary paste, fried tomato, cookies, preserved fruit, soluble cocoa, and childish fruit and chicken tarritos.

The deputy delegate of the Government was accompanied by the president of the Rías Altas Food Bank, Concepción Rey; the head of the program in A Coruña, José Luis Díez; the director of the Agriculture and Fisheries area of the Government Delegation, Ana Tubío and the coordinator of Agrarian Relations, Mercedes Rois.