The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, visited today the warehouse of the Rías Altas Food Bank of Santiago to supervise the second 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, Fisheries and Food. There he took stock of the impact of this program in Galicia, which translates this year into the delivery of 2,354 tons of food to 56,000 Galicians and Galicians who are in a vulnerable situation. The visit was accompanied by the president of the Rías Altas Food Bank, Manuel Mora; the head of the Santiago warehouse, Angela Vergara, and the director of the Agriculture and Fisheries Area of the Government Delegation, Ana Tubío.
Pedro Blanco toured the facilities of the Food Bank in the Polygon of Tambre, where 83 tons of different basic products are now stored. “With these foods we plan to assist more than 900 families (2,500 people) in the area of influence of this center,” said the delegate. During the visit he conveyed his gratitude to the staff and volunteers who work together with the Ministry so that this program fulfills its objective in Galicia.
The government delegate explained that the aid is distributed in two phases. The first one was developed in May and the second one starts now. In this second phase, the Program will deliver 1,660 tons of food in Galicia, of which 474 thousand will be delivered in the province of A Coruña. The Government invests between the two phases 4.2 million euros in the acquisition of these products through public procurement procedures.
In Galicia, all food is deposited in nine authorized distribution centers such as the one in Santiago. 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 these warehouses, the delivery of the food to the delivery organizations begins now, which will be in charge of delivering it to the most vulnerable people. In Galicia there are 427 organizations of final distribution, 103 in the province of A Coruña. These include the social services of municipalities, associations and centres at the local level and are responsible for providing food, free of charge, to families and people who need it.
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). The management is the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, through the Spanish Agricultural Guarantee Fund (FEGA).
The products purchased are of a basic nature, little perishable, easy to transport and storage. The types of food included are: white rice, cooked chickpeas, tuna preserves, alimentary paste, fried tomato, biscuits, preserved fruit, soluble cocoa and childish fruit and chicken tarritos.