The Christmas edition of Collenting Aliments, organized by Banco Alimentar contra a Fome da Cova da Beira (BACB), took place in different supermarkets of Belmonte, Covilhã, Tortosendo, Manteigas, Teixoso e Vila Nova de Tazem. The campaign is designed to help the unemployed, the elderly, children and dysfunctional families, groups that are most affected by the worsening economic situation that Portuguese people live.

During the weekend of 26 and 27 November, volunteers from BACB, properly identified with specific T-shirts, solicited participation of the public at the entrance of shops. “All you have to do is to take a bag and go inside the shop and buy something. We have a list with some products that people can give us”, affirms Raquel Guedes, volunteer of Banco Alimentar contra o Fome in Covilhã. There are some preferable non-perishable products such as milk, canned food, oil, sugar, flour, crackers, pasta, oil, etc., mostly products that can be stored for a longer time.

Paulo Pinheiro, responsible of Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome da Cova da Beira (BACF-CB), affirms that the weekend campaign went very well. "We achieved to get more than 50 Ton of food to distribute to the institutions that work with us. This the second best result of the 20 campaigns that the BACF-CB has made so far. We are very pleased with this result as it represents a great recognition of our work.”, says Pinheiro.

The food achieved to get, the number of volunteers  in every campaign and the organizations that help to make this campaign also shows that all the society believe in what VACF-CB are doing.  It also represents that the Portuguese people knows that the Banco Alimentar works every day to find food to the ones that don't have a good life and the ones that are the victims of this crisis.

The campaign mobilized more than 500 people on a voluntary basis, collect the contributions made ​​in the shops, transport and arrange the warehouses of nineteen food banks in business. BACB helps now 42 social institutions in all Beira Interior that distribute aliments for approximately 4500 persons, including 930 kids. "The food that we achieved to get, the number of volunteers we have in every campaign and the organizations that help us to make this campaign, borrowing cars, giving us simple things such as water to the volunteers, etc, also shows that all the society believe in what we are doing and support us.  It also represents that the Portuguese people knows that the Banco Alimentar works every day to find food to the ones that don't have a good life and the ones that are the victims of this crisis”, affirms Paulo Pinheiro.

Banco Alimentar contra a fome organizes more similar events, one in Christmas and one in Easter, but people can always contribute with items. The campaign was extended this year in online in an electronic campaign which provides the raising of products through an electronic platform. Called “Feed the idea...now online”, this new platform for collecting food was created in addition to the traditional channel for collecting at the supermarket, to avoid the traditional scroll to the shops. The new platform has the advantage of being able to be active for a longer period of time and additionally allow the creation of a community of donors, who can by the use to new communication technologies receive updated information about the activities of Banco Alimentar Contra o Fome.