Social Welfare of La Laguna, with the collaboration of Red Crossis distributing boxes of more than 10 kilos of fresh and seasonal food to more than 300 families that use social services and are at risk of social exclusion, with products from farmers, ranchers and small local and regional entities, and that are delivered free of charge every week or fortnightly, depending on the size of the family unit.
This ongoing initiative, which began in February and will continue until at least May 31, is part of the Healthy Food program for people at risk of social exclusion or poverty in the Canary Islands, financed by the Social Rights Department of the Government of the Canary Islands and which, with the support of the Federation of Municipalities of the Islands (Fecam), is developed through the regional society Rural Management (GMR) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.
Representatives of these institutions yesterday visited the Taco Powder Keg, a center enabled for the local distribution of hundreds of kilos each week, to learn about the work being carried out by the municipality within the framework of this regional pilot project.
This initiative already reaches more than 4,256 families and more than 10,000 members residing in 52 municipalities in the Canary Islands. This pilot program is financed with two million and its objectives are to cover the food needs of families in poverty, generate healthy eating habits and support local products.
Only on yesterday’s day, they will be delivered in The lagoon more than 80 boxes of food, each with five kilos of fruit and vegetables, half a kilo of cheese, one kilo of gofio, a dozen fresh eggs and six liters of Canarian-produced milk, with an approximate value of 20 euros. So, monthly, this program represents a monthly investment of more than 15,000 euros in the municipality. In addition, they include a recipe book, a proposal for healthy menus and educational games to promote healthy eating among children and adolescents.
La Laguna has drawn up a list of 302 beneficiary family units at the proposal of the Social Welfare Area, for their initial inclusion in this project. The criteria to establish the temporality is set by the program itself, so that 83 family units with more than three members will receive a batch every week and another 219, with three or fewer members, will do so every 15 days.
