"On behalf of all the organisations, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the people of goodwill who did not turn their backs on the less fortunate people of our country and lent a helping hand by donating food. Equally important were the more than six thousand volunteers who patiently and persistently invited shoppers to contribute and counted and sorted the food on both days. Without the help of volunteers, this campaign would not have happened, and I would like to thank everyone who gave even a fraction of their time," says Simonas Gurevičius, the head of the Maisto bankas Charity and Support Foundation, which organised the campaign for the thirty-fourth time.
He says that people have listened to the organisations' requests. "This campaign saw a twenty per cent increase in oil donations. I have to admit, and we didn't really expect such an increase because oil is one of the more expensive long-life products. We are, therefore, pleasantly surprised that the public hears and responds to the requests of NGOs and, with them, to the requests of the less fortunate. My sincere thanks also go to all the media representatives who helped us spread the word about the event and the most important needs," adds the head of the Food Bank.
320 different non-governmental organisations took part in the Spring Food Bank campaign. It is estimated that in addition to the Maisto bankas Charity and Support Foundation, whose branches collected donations in several different Lithuanian cities, the Crisis Centre Angelų pieva in Utena collected the most food, followed by Nugalėtojų akademija in Vilnius, the Order of Malta Relief Service, Ištiesk gerumo ranką in Elektrenaios, the Caritas Social Centre Betanija, and the Skuodas Care Home.
"This year, Marijampolė residents were more active than ever in donating. Compared to the last campaign, Marijampolė residents donated almost a thousand times more. We would like to believe that this is also due to our increased activity in this city. After all, it was in Marijampolė that we opened a branch of the Food Bank a month ago, and it has been very active in caring for the less fortunate in this region," says S. Gurevičius. "The number of donors has also grown by more than twenty per cent in Rokiškis, Plungė, Kupiškis and Švenčionys. The organisations in Druskininkai, Kaišiadorys and Prienai received less support from different people." - shares the head of Maisto bankas.
Traditionally, the most donated items in the Food Bank campaign were pasta, followed by cereals, oil and sugar. It is planned that most of the collected donations will be distributed to the less fortunate people before Easter. Some people will receive their donations in the form of pre-formed parcels, while others will receive ready-made food in charity canteens, care homes and day centres. It is hoped that more than 30,000 less fortunate people will benefit from the donations collected in the spring campaign.
However, Maisto bankas reminds us that one in five people in Lithuania is at risk of poverty. The organisation is currently supporting 180 000 people in need and helping Ukrainian war refugees who have arrived in the country. Therefore, we ask you to continue supporting the Food Bank's work by donating funds or contributing 1.2% of your income tax when declaring your income.
