"320,000 Catalans receiving food aid due to rise in “poor workers” "

"The real scope of the work being done by social institutions in a matter as basic as covering the food requirements of poor families is reaching scandalous figures: over 320,000 people are currently receiving food aid in Catalonia.

The report...presented yesterday...by the Catalan Red Cross dignif[ies] and defend[s] the right to food. [It] highlights elements that suggest these needs are not going to diminish any time in the near future, such as the increase in “poor workers” - earning wages that do not allow them to meet their basic needs - increasingly more chronic poverty and growing inequality.

Given this scenario, social organizations are committed to working on two areas: first, the dignifying of the system when providing aid, and second, providing people with full care, that is, not only food but also support in housing, hygiene and school materials, as well as training and employability guidelines for finding work.

Last year, the four food banks in Catalonia distributed nearly 22.4 million kilos of food to a total of 260,497 people. All this while every year 262,471 tonnes of food are wasted in homes, shops and restaurants."


[Sònia Pau - Source: Catalonia Today news.]

"We don't owe! We won't pay!"

While the International Red Cross has called for help, for another 300,000 Spaniards - the first time ever here (in its “Now, more than ever” campaign – see video above) another new social/political movement has started up.

As a part of the “globalnoise” collective of organisations, the Citizen Debt Audit Platform (or “Plataforma Auditoría Ciudadana de la Deuda,” - PACD) met yesterday with members of the German parliament and is promoting a week of activities against debt.

This will include a protest/demonstration under the banner of “We don’t owe! We won’t pay..!” tomorrow (Saturday) at 6pm in Barcelona’s Plaça Catalunya.