The NGO Adenis has an agreement with the Alicante Food Bank of Alicante to distribute 3,200 kilos of monthly aid to 50 beneficiaries, all families, however it is unable to meet the growing demand following the refusal of social assistance from the City Council to provide it with a support location.
The City Council says that it is more operational for Adenis to adapt its current headquarters.
The charity has been distributing food for approximately two years and, as a result of the deplorable economic situation, it is increasing. Cristina Morales, president of the group, explains that it is a non-profit group that has had an agreement with the Alicante Food Bank Foundation since last summer and that it is distributing 3,200 kilos of aid per month to some fifty families, who are without resources.
She adds that the demand for food has increased by 600 kilos this Christmas, due to the closure during holidays of the social catering of Alimentos Solidarios which would normally provide a daily hot meal to many of Torrevieja’s homeless.
In a press release, Adenis states that they registered a request for social assistance in the electronic office of the City Council three months ago, on October 1, 2022, for the grant of a support location, “due to the great demand for food by the groups who are currently in a situation of vulnerability, as a result of the result of the crisis we are going through”.
Adenis, is now publicly requesting “a solution, in the form of a building, so that they are able to provide the additional aid to those who” are being referred to us from various Council departments or from other NGOs that are currently closed because of the holidays”.
Cristina Morales is critical of the City Council’s reasons for denying their help, when she has evidence “that within the municipal heritage there are premises that could be used for these purposes.” To give some examples, she picks out, the old museum of Holy Week or the basement of the building for the future extension of the Town Hall.
Adenis currently distributes non-perishable food from its headquarters: a small holiday home in the San Luis urbanization, far from the town centre, which is inaccessible for many beneficiaries due to the distance and the cost of transportation.
Meanwhile, sources from Alimentos Solidarios have confirmed that they have always closed the social catering every year around these dates. It would normally offer daily hot meals to more than 300 beneficiaries, but the charity is operated by pensioners, most of them expats, who return to their place of origin during the holiday period. They also confirm that prior to closing, on the 22nd, each beneficiary is provided with special batch of food to meet their needs over Christmas.
