Matthew Ballester, Red Cross; Rosa Maria Lladó, Cáritas; Councillor Carme Gomila & Noelia Hernández,Trobada Foundation. | Maria Nadal

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The number of people relying on food banks in Manacor has soared from 120 to 1,871 since March and in December alone they provided basic supplies for 480 people in the city and another 300 in coastal areas, according to Social Services.

The food banks are saturated with new demands every week because of the coronavirus crisis,” said Manacor Social Services Councillor Carme Gomila.

The urgent daily need to feed families has also delayed the implementation of the wallet card pilot project “which helps to dignify and empower users, who can go to the supermarket instead of queuing up for supplies.”

Collection

Manacor City Council has launched a new campaign in conjunction with Cáritas, the Red Cross and the Trobada Fundació to collect food and hygiene products which will be available at all Educational Centres in the Municipality.

Cáritas Representative Rosa Maria Lladó, Red Cross Coordinator Mateu Baluster and Noelia Hernández from the Trobada Foundation agree that the pandemic has put the most vulnerable in a much worse situation and forced a growing number of people to seek help from Social Services for the first time ever. Cáritas users have doubled since March and Ballester says most Red Cross users in 2019 were in their 70s but now they’re 25-40.

The Trobada Foundation, which provides shelter for 25 people in need in Manacor has no spaces available.

"The current waiting list is around 30 people, whereas before the pandemic it was between 5 and 10,” says Hernandez. “The situation is now chronic because of the coronavirus crisis.”