Rome (Fides Service) - This year’s national Food Collection Day, involving 4,000 supermarkets all over Italy, including 200 in Lazio region and 130 in the city of Rome alone, scheduled for 27 November, was presented this morning in Rome.
The food collected goes to those in need, the poor, now 17 % of Italy’s population. “This gesture is a direct response to the primary needs of a large part of the population” said Nicola Colicchi, president of Compagnia delle Opere di Roma which organises the event with Fondazione Banco Alimentare
More than 100,000 volunteers all over Italy will ask people to donate food, preferably cooking oil, baby foods, canned fish, meat, tomatoes and beans. The food collected will be distributed to an estimated 1,200,000 poor people through 7.000 collaborating feeding centres.
This year the slogan of the initiative is: “Unless people recognise the innate desire to give to others, human destiny would be blind and meaningless. Freely sharing with others helps mankind to be part of a great plan and destiny. For 15 years we have been helping those in need and growing ourselves. Food Collection is a seed which bears fruits of charity, authentic mystery of friendship among people”.
Many religious orders will take part in the initiative. Urban College is sending 20 volunteers to help collect donations of food supplies in supermarkets in various parts of Rome.
The goal this year is to do still better than 2003, when Italians donated 5,701 tonnes of food for the value of 20 million Euro. This will be possible if everyone gives a hand. (P.L.R.) (Agenzia Fides 22/11/2004 - Righe 26; Parole 314)