The “Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome” is organising a two-day nationwide food drive for disadvantaged families on May 25 and 26.

Over 40,000 volunteers in more than 2,000 supermarkets nationwide are taking part in a food collection campaign launched by the Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome (Food Bank Against Hunger) this weekend (May 25 and 26).

The campaign, with the theme “Your help could be what’s missing on a family’s table”, takes place “live” this Saturday and Sunday and continues online until June 6 on the Banco Alimentar’s website.

The institution for “individual contributions from the population, everyone to share food that is part of family meals”. Depending on each person’s availability, “this act of solidarity takes on a collective character to improve the lives of families in need”, it says.

The president of the Portuguese Federation of Food Banks Against Hunger, Isabel Jonet, told Lusa news agencythat food collection campaigns are “absolutely vital to supply food banks” because, through these campaigns, they can collect basic products that are essential for families in need.

Asked about requests from families for support, the president of the Food Bank noted that, despite the rise in certain public social assistance programmes, “the number of requests for support has not decreased” since the last campaign in December 2023.

Last year, the 21 Food Banks assisted approximately 360,000 individuals with verified food requirements through collaborations with over 2,400 social institutions.

According to the organisation, to participate in the campaign, all you need to do is “accept a bag from the Banco Alimentar [at the entrance of the shop], place food in it, and hand it over to the volunteers” when leaving the supermarket.

Founded in Portugal in 1991, the “Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome” aims to combat food waste and assist those most in need through collaborations with charitable organisations and volunteers.