Archbishop’s Palace gets food bank for needy

Panaji: A food bank for the needy was launched at the Archbishop’s Palace at Altinho on Wednesday, the 23rd such set up in the state under the Street Providence initiative that kicked off last year.
Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao inaugurated a freezer where surplus food donated will be stored and where it can be picked up from by those in need.

Fr Sebastian Dias, food bank in-charge, said anybody can bring in extra food in food grade bags. This in turn will be distributed to those who need it.

All over the state, food banks have been receiving around Rs 1,400kg food each day from weddings, parties, hotels, bakeries, said Donald Fernandes, who spearheaded the movement in May 2017.

The first and main food bank at Sangolda can store 3,000kg food, and also has volunteers to pick up the food and distribute it. Food from this bank — that functions 24x7— is shared with other smaller food banks.

The 24th and 25th food banks at Gauri Petrol Pump, Porvorim, and at Nagoa, Arpora, are likely to become operational this week. Street Providence was registered as an NGO three months ago and has around 160 volunteers. Their goal is to ensure that good food doesn’t get wasted and nobody goes hungry.

The NGO provides the freezers for each bank and volunteers take it forward from there. At some food banks like the one in Pajifond-Margao, volunteers are mostly senior citizens. Some food is also given to NGOs that distribute it to slum dwellers. At other food banks, volunteers also heat the food and serve the people on the streets.

Fernandes said he has used social media to spread the message of donating extra food. “While people have been enthusiastic about donating, the trend of people coming to collect food hasn’t caught on yet,” he said.