“There is a lot of need in families who go to NGOs in search of basic help to survive, especially migrants who do not yet have documents,” Ana Fernández, president of the Virgen de la Esperanza Association, founded 14 years ago, told this newspaper yesterday. years by a group of women in San Isidro (Granadilla de Abona) to help the families most affected by the outbreak of the great economic recession in 2008.
The NGO from Granada, which distributes bags with non-perishable products and fresh food every Thursday at its premises, is facing the imminent Christmas campaign these days, which once again will include the distribution of toys and nougat among users. There will also be no shortage of “blankets” and “some perfume” that the organization’s volunteers will take to the homes of the elderly who live alone or people with mobility problems, explained Ana Fernández, because, she stressed, “on these dates the elderly return to be children.”
The president of the Granada NGO recalled that “special and emotional” days are coming, but highlighted one phrase: “the need lasts all year.” She thanked the Food Bank for its contribution, which she defined as a “key lung” for the groups that distribute essential products to the population, as well as the Dinosol Foundation and Mercadona for the contributions they make periodically.
Likewise, he expressed the organization’s satisfaction with the donations that come from individuals, among them, that of “a man who every 15 days brings us eight boxes of semi-skimmed milk to distribute among the elderly and families with children.”
Although the situation, he acknowledges, continues to be complicated for many families in the South, the Virgen de la Esperanza Association detects a “somewhat calmer” panorama with respect to the two years after the pandemic, due to the good tourist moment that the south of Tenerife, which translates into a greater number of both direct and indirect jobs, he indicated.
Ana Fernández also demanded greater support from public administrations because, she emphasized, “the basic aid that we provide to the most needy families does not fall from the sky.”
RED CROSS
Likewise, the Red Cross is finalizing its operation for the upcoming Christmas dates in the Abona region. The humanitarian institution is currently looking for godfathers and godmothers, in collaboration with the Granadilla de Abona City Council, to guarantee that at least 250 boys and girls in the region receive toys. That was the number of minors benefited by the campaign developed last year and is the forecast that the organization manages for this edition.
In addition to meeting the hopes of the little ones, the Red Cross’ priority continues to be responding to the basic needs of citizens, that is, providing food and personal hygiene products.
Sources from the organization described the current situation as “quite complicated” in the region due to the notable increase in the price of housing rentals and also the increase in the cost of the shopping basket, which are “suffocating” many families in the southern part of the Island.