Grand Food Drive from 30 November to 1 Decembe

The Food Bank holds its 10^th Grand Food Drive to benefit 200,000 people in Catalonia

• This year, Catalonia’s four food banks’ Grand Food Drive will become more sustainable thanks to 250 reusable bags that will replace plastic bags at collection points.

• Another innovation at this year’s Grand Food Drive is the option to make donations via several digital retailers.

• More than 18,700 volunteers have already registered, but a further 10,000 are needed.

• Oil, milk and canned goods are among the priority supplies required to meet the basic needs of 200,000 people in Catalonia receiving food aid through 675 community initiatives approved by the Regional Government.

 Barcelona, 15 November 2018.

A press conference was held today at the headquarters of the Barcelona Food Bank, in order to announce the tenth Grand Food Drive organised by the four Catalonia Food Banks to cover the basic food requirements of those in need.

The meeting was attended by Roser Brutau and Lluís Fatjó-Vilas, chairperson and manager of the Barcelona Food Banks, Pere Navarro, State Delegate in the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, and Carlos Gómez-Múgica, general manager of the Endesa Foundation, the organisation providing reusable bags to the initiative.

According to Roser Brutau, 18,700 volunteers have already signed up to assist with the campaign at 2,500 designated collection points in markets and supermarkets, evidence of the community’s firm commitment to the food bank movement, since this is the tenth edition. She also stressed that volunteers are still needed to lend a hand at collection points in parts of Barcelona and several towns in Catalonia.

The manager of the Barcelona Food Bank, Lluís Fatjó-Vilas, announced two important innovations introduced this year. The first of these is a more sustainable and environmentally friendly Grand Food Drive, achieved by replacing 250,000 single-use plastic bags with reusable and recyclable bags. It has been calculated that using a reusable non-woven textile bag avoids the consumption, manufacturing and disposal of 100 single-use bags, thus reducing waste and the carbon footprint. The Endesa Foundation is collaborating to make this initiative possible.  

Another important new Grand Food Drive innovation is the opportunity to make online donations through digital distributors like Ulabox, Caprabo, Casa Ametller, Vimet Condis, BonPreu Esclat and Dia, giving the programme a higher online presence.

Lluís Fatjó-Vilas also drew attention to the issues sorting foods from the Barcelona metropolitan area in recent years, which have been resolved this year with help from the Consorci de la Zona Franca. The Consorci has temporarily lent the food banks an 11,000 m² industrial unit in Street 52-54 and an adjacent 5,500 m² plot for use as a car park, both free of charge.

Pere Navarro, State Delegate in the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, announced that the Consorci de la Zona Franca, which owns and already provides the Food Bank with its current headquarters, will cooperate with the Grand Food Drive 2018 by lending the organisation an 11,000 m² industrial unit and a 5,500 m² plot for food storage in Street D on the industrial estate. According to Navarro, the Free Trade Zone in the heart of Barcelona’s metropolitan area, is not only a first-line logistical and economic area, but can also help to unite society, hence its support to this magnificent show of solidarity, to which the Consorci is pleased to show its support.

   The manager of the Barcelona Food Banks also explained a second innovative project for this Catalonia food drive: the replacement of 250,000 single plastic bags with reusable versions. This extra-sustainable version of the Grand Food Drive will be made possible by the collaboration of the Endesa Foundation to reduce CO2 emissions and mitigate the daily impact of plastics on our environment.

Carlos Gómez-Múgica, general manager of the Endesa Foundation, is very pleased with this collaboration: “When the opportunity arose to cooperate with the Grand Food Drive, we realised that this initiative was the perfect fit with the social mission of the Endesa Foundation, its commitment to people and objective to improve our surroundings through sustainability. The 80,000 reusable cloth bags used for this year’s Grand Food Drive will make this and future initiatives more sustainable by reducing the carbon footprint and CO2 emissions, making this humanitarian, community project even more valuable”

  The Grand Food Drive’s motto this year is “HELPING IS A NATURAL INSTINCT”, appealing to the empathy and support between animals of different species when it comes to food. The original idea and strategy were provided by the FullCircle Karma agency managed by ACME & Co. Production company Blua was responsible for audio-visuals, while Dani Ferrer composed the music for all the pieces created. We would like to thank Stuart OnNature for granting us the rights over the campaign videos. Creative graphics are courtesy of designer Albert Balcells.

 Roser Brutau ended the press conference by thanking everyone for coming and for their unconditional support to ensure that the Grand Food Drive is a resounding success. The campaign would be impossible without the commitment of the thousands of volunteers and donors who contribute and to the distributors that allocate space for collecting food, storage and transport and add their own donations to those made by the public at points of sale.