Warehouse number 10 of Mercatenerife, headquarters of the food Bank of the Island, Teide Bank, has become for more than five hours in the great set of solidarity. Watch me tv launches the challenge of reaching out to help 30,000 canaries among those mired in poverty and those affected by the La Palma volcano. Manuel Artiles, director of the channel and designer of the idea, in which he collaborates THE DAY, keeps intact the illusion of reaching that figure. Artiles is based on the queue of vehicles that collapses the entrance to the wholesale trade area on the island. And in a fact: at three in the afternoon, the five tons of donations had been exceeded
During the day, more than a hundred trucks, vans and other models loaded with products for the most vulnerable are expected to pass through there. From personal hygiene items or basic necessities for babies and children between 0 and 6 years old to toys, new, not sexist or warlike, gifts for the elderly of the residences and help for the animal protectors.
More than a hundred vehicles have passed through Warehouse 10 among those of the Army, the UME, the Local Police of Santa Cruz, Civil Protection or logistics companies such as Intesa. The presence of the Capital Natural Environment Unit, whose members have collaborated in the distribution of food for the Telemarathon, has been highlighted. From toys to basic necessities to do your bit and make children and adults smile.
A great team
Mercatenerife has been, among other personalities, the president of the Canary Islands Parliament, Gustavo Matos, the mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council, José Manuel Bermúdez, and the president of the Tenerife Council, Pedro Martín, have valued “The enormous solidarity of our people who have not failed in these very difficult times.”
Artiles values: “It was difficult to bring this event to a closed space to be able to comply with the sanitary measures, accustomed as we are to organizing them in open spaces. But I can say that it is being a success ”. He adds: “It is satisfying that the solidarity of our Canarian society is shown when the pandemic is there with such data of tremendous infections.”
Artiles completes his thirteenth telemarathon in nine years because in two of them, when the crisis hit the hardest, the edition was doubled, in May and in December. The organizer is also enthusiastic about the regional nature of this edition with the participation of the two provincial Food Banks and 157 NGOs. Manuel Artiles understands that “we have improved in direct aid to dignify those who receive it thanks to the Food Banks, NGOs and solidarity companies”
More than a hundred companies, practically all the large companies in Tenerife, have already donated, either the previous days or during the day today, in the 80 points enabled for affection throughout the island, Gran Canaria and La Gomera. They have highlighted, for example, the contributions of educational centers such as Echeyde or entities, the case of the College of Nursing and the NGO that hosts in parallel, Solidaridad Nurse. In addition, three spaces have been set up for individual deliveries located in Plaza del Príncipe (Santa Cruz), Plaza el Adelantado (La Laguna) and Puntalarga Shopping Center (Candelaria). In all the day “it is going at a very good pace.” Artiles encourages keeping it “until six in the afternoon.” Then everything collected will be transferred to Mercatenerife.
