The subdelegate of the Government in A Coruña, María Rivas, today approached the Food Warehouse of the Red Cross in Culleredo, to supervise the second phase of the delivery of food that the Government makes through the Food Aid Program of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. There he took stock of the impact of this program in the province of A Coruña, which translates this year into the delivery of 671,181 kilos of food to 5,600 families in the province (about 16,000 people) who are in a situation of vulnerability. The visit was accompanied by the provincial president of the Red Cross, Manuel Viqueira, the provincial coordinator of the Red Cross in A Coruña, Carmen Reigía, and the director of the Agriculture and Fisheries area of the Government Delegation, Ana Tubío.
The government subdelegate 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 474,642 kilos in the province of A Coruña. The Government invests in the province between the two phases about 1.2 million euros in the acquisition of these products through public procurement procedures. In the province of A Coruña the second phase of the program involved an investment of 855,954.08 euros.
In the province of A Coruña, all food is deposited in 3 authorized distribution centers such as Culleredo. 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 the province of A Coruña there are 103 organizations of final distribution, among them are the social services of municipalities, associations and centers at local level and are in charge of getting the food, free of charge, to the families and people who need it.
María Rivas toured the facilities of the Red Cross warehouse in Ledoño, where 237,316 kilos of different basic products are stored. “With these foods we plan to assist about 2,700 Coruña families, about 8,100 people living in the area of influence of this center”, said the deputy 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.
Food Aid Program
• Food Aid Programme is a national programme that distributes food to the most vulnerable people, co-financed by the European Fund for Vulnerable People (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 foods included are: white rice, cooked chickpeas, tuna preserves, alimentary paste, fried tomato, cookies, preserved fruit, soluble cocoa, and childish fruit and chicken tarritos.