The Portuguese Red Cross’ Vale+ food collection campaign takes place today and Sunday in nearly 600 supermarkets across the country, aiming to “reinforce its capacity to respond to requests for support”.
Donations can be made by purchasing cash vouchers or food items, as was the case last weekend.
The campaign runs from July 12 to 26, after having raised enough money in March, both in vouchers and products, to donate almost 149 thousand meals.
Vale+ has already made it possible to provide 600,000 meals to those most in need since the project was created in 2021.
Calling for citizens’ participation, the president of the Portuguese Red Cross highlighted that these campaigns allow us to strengthen the “capacity for social responses on the ground to families in vulnerable situations, homeless people, migrants and refugees”.
In an interview with Lusa news agency at the end of June, António Saraiva said that the number of requests for help from the institution has been increasing since 2022.
Between 2022 and 2023, requests for aid increased by around 73%, after doubling between 2021 and 2022, and the perception is that the trend should continue in 2024, he added.
Source: www.cmjornal.pt
