Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome

Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome is the Federação Portuguesa dos Bancos Alimentares Contra a Fome, created on 23 February 1999. It now coordinates 21 regional food banks across mainland Portugal and the islands, each run as its own Instituição Particular de Solidariedade Social. The network collects food from several sources: surplus agricultural production, donations from food companies, European Union support programmes, and gifts from individuals during collection campaigns at supermarkets. Once goods arrive at the warehouse, volunteers sort and inventory everything by hand, check food safety and hygiene, and pack it for distribution. A recent two-day national collection brought in 1,930 tonnes of food, gathered with the help of 40,000 volunteers across 2,000 shops. Beyond routine collection, the federation runs a Rede de Emergência Solidária to respond to emergencies such as storm damage, including recent support to social institutions in areas hit by Storm Kristin. It also runs the Campanha "Papel por Alimentos", which converts collected paper into food products for people in need, pairing environmental action with food solidarity. The federation is headquartered at Avenida de Ceuta, Estação de Alcântara-Terra, in Lisbon, and is led by president Isabel Jonet. People can find their nearest food bank through the website, apply to volunteer, or make a donation. The organisation operates on donated goods, volunteer labour and corporate sponsorship (mecenato), without charging the people it serves.