From receiving food to donating: "I know the importance of helping, even if it's just with one euro"

The two most important days for Bancosol have arrived. Today and tomorrow, November 7th and 8th, the Great Collection will be held in 330 supermarkets across the province of Málaga to raise money that is transformed throughout the year into food for the most vulnerable group in the province. This year, they have reached 23,181 people served through 131 social entities with which Bancosol, the food bank of Málaga, works hand in hand.

Laura was one of those people who received food aid. Those were tough years. But now her life is back on track, and she is the one who collaborates in fundraising campaigns like this one. "I know how important it is to help even if it's just with one euro. And I fully trust Bancosol because they were helping me for a year and they never failed. The most important thing for me is that my son, who was three years old at that time, was not aware of the situation I was living in and always had a plate of food; children do not understand needs, so when they come home at noon, they want to eat. It's hard to see yourself like that when you can't give them everything you would want... That's why I will be forever grateful for Bancosol's help, the treatment I received was incredible," confesses Laura, who was 36 years old when she went through that "bad patch," and is now 41.

She is a special education teacher and went through a period of being unable to find work. She reached out to Bancosol and the Jarifa Association and they did not hesitate to help her: "You shouldn't be ashamed, you have to ask for help; that's what I advise anyone...," points out the woman from Málaga during a conversation with SUR. Fortunately, that bad patch only lasted a year and Laura managed to find a job and return her family to economic normality. "From that moment, I collaborate in every Bancosol campaign. It's very necessary," she notes. And she values the change from donating food bags to donating money at supermarket tills, through Bizum or transfers to Bancosol's accounts: "It's better because it changes the model... Before, people only donated pasta and rice, but for example, we didn't have fruits or vegetables to meet the nutritional needs of the children," she regrets.

A large part of the beneficiaries of the great collection are children. According to Bancosol, of the 23,282 people they serve, 5,786 are children. Another donor, Manuel Martín, values the importance of collaborating with campaigns like this for that very reason. "This really works and the best way to collaborate with those who need it most is to donate money at the supermarket tills. There are many families with minors in that situation... None of us would like to be in their place and that's why it's so necessary that we collaborate," emphasizes the man from Málaga, a donor in the Great Collection of Bancosol for many years: "I know well all the work that is done there and I have no doubt that my money is going to a good cause; they manage it well and the food is distributed throughout the year to the most vulnerable groups in the province," adds Manuel.

How to Donate

There are no longer food bags with milk and baby food that would expire, now the collection consists of adding from one euro to the shopping ticket so that Bancosol can distribute the food according to the demands of social entities and without the risk of facing expirations or having only thousands of liters of milk, which meant the absence of other essential foods for the daily life of families.

The chains involved in the Great Collection are Carrefour, Maskom, Mercadona, Día, El Jamón, Lidl, Eroski, El Corte Inglés, Mas... They will be throughout the province along with 4,000 volunteers explaining what the new method of donation is. Additionally, you can donate through Bizum (00887) or in the available bank accounts (ES44 2100 8688 7702 0011 6290 or ES41 2103 0262 9500 3001 6299).