Before 11:00 AM, the first pallets of food collected from supermarkets in the Lisbon district arrived at the warehouses in Alcântara. They were eagerly awaited by dozens of volunteers, prepared to start sorting the goods by food type.
Isabel Jonet, president of the Portuguese Federation of Food Banks Against Hunger, stated that this logistic operation in Lisbon is replicated across the 21 stores the food bank has nationwide.
“There are 21 food banks conducting food collection campaigns, and these banks rely on their volunteers to encourage shoppers to share with the needy in their region precisely what they are buying for their homes,” she said.
“We have over two thousand stores, each with a team of volunteers. Additionally, we have volunteers who handle transportation and volunteers in the warehouses who help sort, weigh, and organize all the products. These are two very intense days, and we need all these people,” she added.
Food items are weighed upon arrival, then pass along a conveyor belt where volunteers sort them, each responsible for grouping a specific food type, which is then packed into boxes for delivery to institutions and families.
At the end of this sorting process, the goods are weighed again to ensure everything is accounted for, Isabel Jonet explained.
This weekend, the Food Bank faces substantial competition from the beach, Jonet noted. Despite the stacked pallets, it wasn’t until 12:30 PM that there were enough volunteers to operate the food sorting conveyor belt, accompanied by the song “Contentores” by Xutos e Pontapés, played by the radio from the Autonomous University of Lisbon, which sets up a small studio at every campaign event since 2006 to entertain the volunteers.
“The Food Bank is a call for civic engagement and collective solidarity. More than just gathering food, it’s about raising awareness of a reality we cannot accept,” Jonet emphasized.
Approximately 40,000 volunteers are involved at various collection points and warehouses across the country, identifiable by ‘t-shirts’ featuring the food bank logo, with colors varying depending on the task performed.
A logistical mega-operation underpins the visible volunteer work in supermarkets. This involves companies and other volunteers assisting with their resources, such as drivers, equipment, pallet trucks, forklifts, food distribution for volunteers, insurance, and advertising.
“We need to oversee this entire chain to ensure nothing is lost, from donation at the supermarket to delivery at the recipient’s table,” Jonet stressed.
The food items collected in supermarkets are typically distributed in the regions where they are gathered.
“The Food Bank does not directly support individuals. Instead, it partners with various social institutions nationwide,” Jonet explained.
Currently, the Food Bank has partnerships with 2,350 institutions distributing food either as prepared meals served at nursing homes, daycare centers, and home aid services or as food baskets delivered to families or the homeless population.
“We know that around 378,000 people are currently benefiting from the aid distributed by these partner institutions,” Jonet stated.
The campaign runs today and Sunday in supermarkets, but participation is possible until June 8, through vouchers available in all supermarkets or online at https://www.alimentestaideia.pt/.
Last year, the 21 Food Banks provided food for over 360,000 people with proven food needs, in partnership with 2,300 social organizations, delivering more than 100 tons of food per working day, totaling 27,800 tons distributed throughout the year.
