The Red Cross will distribute 249,427.44 kilos of food in Lanzarote within the second phase of the 2019 Food Aid Program. In the province of Las Palmas as a whole, the NGO has been distributing 552,441 kilos of food to vulnerable people from October 17 to the 29th of this month.
This Program, co-financed by 85% by the European Aid Fund for the Most Disadvantaged (FEAD) and 15% by the national budget, includes the total distribution of more than 96 million kilos.
The distribution of food is carried out by the Spanish Red Cross and the Spanish Federation of Food Banks (FESBAL), 50% each organization. From the storage centers of the two organizations, it will be distributed to more than 5,500 associated distribution organizations throughout the national territory, which will deliver them to the most disadvantaged people, so that they can easily prepare a complete meal for one person or for a family with several members, including babies.
In this second phase of the Food Aid Program, the Spanish Red Cross in Las Palmas will work with 44 participating entities, including local, regional and island assemblies of the Red Cross, city councils and other NGOs and, in total, will distribute food to 17,851 people. In Gran Canaria, 285,493.92 kilos of food will be distributed; in Lanzarote, 249,427.44 kilos and in Fuerteventura, 17,519.88 kilos of food, reaching a total of 552,441.24 kilos of food that will be delivered to 17,851 vulnerable and resource-poor people in the province of Las Palmas.
Foods to be distributed
The foods are basic, non-perishable, easy to transport and store. Updates have been made to this year's "food basket" and some new features have been incorporated. The foods to be delivered are: cooked chickpeas, spaghetti pasta, canned vegetable medley, pear and canned fruit medley, canned tuna and sardines, canned pork (lean), chocolate shakes, white rice, UHT milk, fried tomato, cookies, small jars of fruit and chicken, and olive oil.
"These are especially nutritious foods that will help meet the needs of adults and, in particular, children," the NGO points out. This basket has been prepared with the collaboration of the Federation of Food Banks, the Red Cross and nutrition experts from the Ministries.
The profile of the beneficiaries
According to data provided by a joint study that the Spanish Red Cross and the Spanish Federation of Food Banks presented in October 2018 to assess the impact of the European Aid Fund for the most disadvantaged people in Spain, 90.2% of the program's beneficiaries lived in extreme poverty and 52.4% were long-term unemployed. A notable fact was that among the population served were people who were working at that time.
In addition, 71% of the program's beneficiaries were women, three out of four households had children under 15 years of age, and 16% of households had people with disabilities. The population served presented problems in multiple areas: shortage of income, unemployment, housing problems, health problems, among others.
These data showed that the people and families benefiting from the FEAD Program presented extremely precarious socioeconomic and occupational conditions: 36% had been in the program for between three and five years or more, which points to "a risk of chronification of situations of poverty and material deprivation", according to the Red Cross.
