As part of citizen solidarity, the Food Bank donated tons of food aid to families affected by DANA in Valencia. A lot. In fact, there are so many that some of them bricks milk, cans or boxes of cookies will never reach the Valencian Community. Some of them will stay in Valladolid, for example. It may sound strange. It may seem anecdotal. The truth is that what is happening in the capital, Pucelana, is a clear reflection of the best and worst of the solidarity network mobilized in the face of the disaster that devastated Valencia.

It reminds us that solidarity is a very strong muscle… And how difficult it can be to use this power.

What happened in Valladolid? There was nothing that wasn’t predictable. And human. After seeing the images of the flood in Valencia, of basements and parking lots filled with mud, of collapsed houses, and of people mourning their dead or searching for missing people, the force of solidarity was mobilized in Valladolid, as in many other places in Spain: people mobilized. They were taking food from refrigerators and cupboards or buying it from supermarkets in the hope that one of the families in Paiporta or Aldaia would alleviate their distress.

It made sense, right? After all, when we see environmental disasters in other distant places, such as the earthquakes in Haiti or Morocco or the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, this is what those affected need: the most basic things, food and clothing. Considering that the situation in the Valencian Community is still far from normalizing after this outpouring of solidarity, on Saturday, North of Castile published an article with a shocking headline: “Tons of food donated to DANA will be distributed in Valladolid to prevent them from expiring.”

Why this? For something no less predictable: in Valladolid, as in other cities of Spain or the rest of the planet, families donate according to their own criteria and experience. They deliver bricks packets of milk, cookies or rice, tin cans… And this snowballing solidarity does not always adapt to the real needs in the affected area or allow us to act efficiently, especially when we are talking about perishable foods.

For example, the Castile-Leon newspaper says that in the warehouse of the La Cistérniga Food Bank they collected milk cartons that will spoil within a few weeks or (at least) have expired. And they’re not the only ones. Some of the donations made to Valencians consist of foods that have little mobility and are at risk of spoiling, such as yoghurt, bread, and cold cuts… Products that they cannot load onto trucks to Valencia because there are other products. priorities like cleaning supplies.

Solidarity fallut? Like hell. First, because it is neither. Second, the organization itself has already sought a way to benefit from this wave of solidarity, even if it is a longer deviation than expected. The idea of ​​the Food Bank is to benefit from this material. Like? In the case of Valladolid, for example, it distributes perishable food to the 12,000 people it typically serves in the region.

Some of this food has started to arrive at its warehouse in Argales and will reach homes and solidarity organizations in Pucelana. This does not mean that the donors’ gesture cannot benefit those affected by DANA in Valencia. The Food Bank will distribute 1.8 euros for each ‘managed’ kilo to the victims of the Valencia tragedy. The Valladolid delegation announced that the money would go to the Federation of State Food Banks to be transferred to their counterparts in Valencia or Albacete.

Is it an isolated case? No. One has to do a Google search to see that the Food Bank is “overwhelmed” in other parts of Spain, such as Córdoba or Cádiz. From these regions, or from regions such as Galicia or Valladolid itself, the same message is insisted: the importance of coordinating the solidarity response in order to achieve full effectiveness.

“Let’s not donate to Valencia like headless chickens, they are overwhelmed with all the food shipments they have,” he said. Voice of Galicia A few days ago, José Luis Doval, spokesman for the solidarity organization in Pontevedra. There and in Vigo, the bank decided to act as a food warehouse with the aim of organizing and distributing the flow of food to Valencia, adjusting it according to needs and its capacity to take on donations. “Otherwise the food will rot.”

Food or money? Another important event of the last weeks emphasizes once again the decision taken in Valladolid: donations or money transfers of better food, clothing and cleaning products, advance Does this leave more room for organizations to coordinate their responses? In Córdoba, mayor José María Bellido even asked his followers to “prioritize” financial aid over material aid after the town’s firefighters collected more than 160 tons of produce destined for Valencia.

“We are pleased to see society’s reaction to such misfortune. But this is a very poorly designed collection campaign. You cannot order food and cleaning supplies from all of Spain to serve 100,000 people,” said Juan José. vice president of the Córdoba Food Bank, told El Diario de Córdoba. More than a week ago, its warehouse in Campo San Antón was filled with boxes containing products ranging from food to water, diapers and vacuum cleaners.

Why is this a challenge? Due to logistics, among other problems. The message from Cádiz was clear. “We greatly appreciate the cooperation but are overwhelmed. Please note that any collection of food and essential supplies needs to be coordinated with the Food Bank first.” There they directly claimed that they had run out of pallets, boxes and storage space. The organization said, “Our warehouses in Valencia are currently full.” Cadiz Newspaper In early November, days after DANA.

The truth is (fortunately) that Spain is not used to dealing with disasters like the one that hit Valencia, but organizations and professionals working on social networks are, and from time immemorial there have been voices insisting on the importance of coordinating the response. . On 4 November, Directo al Paladar spoke to experts and questioned whether the “call for a kilo operation” was the appropriate response for Valencia.

One aid worker said: “This is an increasingly outdated model. Cash is now often required.” “People don’t realize the tremendous cost that comes with all these logistics.” As an example, he explained that a ten-euro food donation can lead to distribution costs that represent half or even all of the value of what is given.

What exactly does it tell us? The outburst of solidarity sparked by the Valencia tragedy leaves few ideas on the table. Some are positive. Others not so much. There is a key to the first: In emergencies, people react, take action, and look for a way to help. And they often do this by referring to previous experience or, in the case of environmental disasters occurring far from Spain, recent references.

Among the second ideas, which are not very positive, what stands out above all is the lack of a better organized response that would coordinate and organize solidarity in the initial stages. Especially by public institutions. At the end of the day, it can be foreseen that assistance will continue to be needed in Valencia, not only in the immediate aftermath of DANA, but also in the coming months.

Anything else? “I’m impressed that things have come to this point in a context like Spain. Not useful. “When it comes to food, the shelf life is so short, can they cook it?” explained the international aid worker, noting the challenges (and costs) of managing food distribution.

He’s not the only one pointing in this direction. The Córdoba Food Bank noted days ago that the collection campaign was “very poorly designed.” “We ask the people of Córdoba to please contribute only financially,” they state. Diario de Córdoba at the Medina Azahara Food Bank.

Why do we donate in kind? The fact that the reaction is so intense in the distribution of food, medicine, clothing and other commercial goods raises another question: Are we more reluctant to cooperate with financial contributions, even if they are the same amount as what we allocate? Will we fill a bag at the supermarket and then deliver it to an NGO? Have fraud attempts, some of which have been quite vocal and media-friendly, damaged this tool of solidarity?

This question is not trivial if we consider that charities are beginning to question the effectiveness of direct in-kind aid, at least in some cases.

Image | Valladolid City Council (X)

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