The "la Caixa" Foundation and CaixaBank collect 1.6 million euros for food banks

The solidarity initiative "No home without food", promoted by the "la Caixa" Foundation and CaixaBank, closes its third edition with a total of 1.6 million euros raised in favour of food banks. This amount translates into 1,718 tonnes of basic foodstuffs that the 54 food banks associated with the Spanish Federation of Food Banks (FESBAL) will distribute through almost 7,500 collaborating social entities throughout Spain. With these results, a total of 34,700 people are guaranteed a basic diet this summer.

The aim of the initiative is to help the most vulnerable groups in the new social emergency scenario marked by a triple crisis: the pandemic, inflation and the war in Ukraine. Aware of the urgency of responding to the people who need it most, the "la Caixa" Foundation has contributed an additional one million euros to the initiative, making a total of 1.6 million euros collected.

To the more than two years of pandemic (2020 and 2021), must be added the events of the last few months, in which the general increase in prices and the great loss of purchasing power are aggravating the situation of many families. In fact, around 1.5 million people in Spain are still in a situation of food poverty due to the rise in the CPI and the increase in the cost of the shopping basket.

This scenario is also reflected in the recent Living Conditions Survey conducted by the National Statistics Institute (INE), which puts the at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rate (AROPE) at 27.8% in 2021, compared to the 27% recorded in 2020 in Spain, almost one point higher.

The new crisis is also having a direct impact on the food banks themselves throughout the country and on the entities in charge of delivering food to neighbourhoods. The rise in prices suffered in 2022 has led to a reduction in donations and surpluses to supply the food stores, which have been forced to reduce the amount of food they distribute by more than 10%.

During these last three years of social emergency, the "la Caixa" Foundation and CaixaBank have carried out the solidarity action "No home without food", in which they have collected a total of 7.3 million euros. Thanks to these donations, 7,770 tonnes of basic foodstuffs have been collected.

"We must all contribute to building a world with more equal opportunities, especially for the most vulnerable people. This is where our support for the valuable work of food banks comes in. We want to continue joining forces to guarantee that all families can have access to basic food", emphasised the Director General of the "la Caixa" Foundation, Antonio Vila Bertrán.

"In the current economic climate, the work that the Spanish Federation of Food Banks has been doing for years is more important than ever. That is why CaixaBank is joining the initiative and making the largest banking network in Spain available to all those who wish to contribute", said CaixaBank's CEO, Gonzalo Gortázar.

The electronic channels of the solidarity initiative will continue to operate until 31 August. Those wishing to donate can send their donation through CaixaBank's ATM network, the largest in Spain; through CaixaBankNow, both on the app and on the website, and through the www.caixabank.es portal for those who are not CaixaBank customers. Another option for collaboration is through Bizum, by sending a donation to cause 38014.

In addition, the www.ningunhogarsinalimentos.org portal will continue to be active for donations.