A little extra on your shopping bill in Malaga can materialise as food for 30,000 people

Your shopping this weekend can lend a helping hand to 29,240 people in Malaga who live in poverty and social vulnerability. Once again, Bancosol launches its spring campaign and will collect monetary donations in supermarkets on 23 and 24 May. People can donate anything from one euro up for the purchase of meat, eggs, milk or fish at the tills of 130 supermarkets in the province: El Corte Inglés, Maskom, Carrefour, Hiper and Mercadona.

"The public administrations are not helping us and all the food we are distributing is thanks to the donations made by the people of Malaga in campaigns like this one," said Bancosol president Diego Vázquez.

The proceeds from Bancosol's campaigns go to 129 social organisations in the province that serve a total of 29,240 people, of which 8,694 are children. To collaborate, apart from donating at a supermarket, there are several other options. You can send money via bizum (00887) and or make a transfer to Bancosol's accounts (ES44 2100 8688 7702 0011 6290 or ES41 2103 0262 9500 3001 6299). This spring campaign is "a complement" to the money collected in the Gran Recogida, which is usually held at the end of November each year. "We do this to be able to continue distributing throughout the year. We distributed 729,321 kilos of food just in the first quarter of the year," said Vázquez.

Five years ago, food collection was swapped for monetary donations, which helps Bancosol provide fresh food much more. "This way we can offer fresh products and have a variety of food to give to associations and end users. Before, we had large quantities of milk that expired after a few months and had nothing left to distribute by the middle of the year," said Vázquez.

The change of model is undoubtedly a positive thing for associations such as Rondayuda - a beneficiary of the Bancosol campaigns for more than 20 years. "In the last distribution, we received milk, oil, pasta, rice, noodles, beans, tuna fish. A complete pantry. That didn't happen before. We always noticed that things were missing," said Rondayida's president, María del Carmen Testón.

Many volunteers - 1,040, to be precise - will assist customers in the supermarkets in question, providing information about how to participate in the campaign. Within this circle, which begins with donations, continues with the purchase of food and the distribution to associations, the almost 30,000 end users play a major role. Lina is one of them: "I am very grateful to the solidarity. I never expected all this help that they have given me. I could move forward in my life thanks to them," she said. After passing through several associations, she now lives in a shared flat with her 30-year-old daughter and has a job as a hotel waitress thanks to the training she received at the food bank in Malaga.

Testimonials like Lina's confirm that it is worth adding at least one euro to a shopping bill that will be converted into food for around 30,000 people in need in the province.