The launch event took place at Barcelona's Mercat del Clot, attended by Mayor Jaume Collboni and representatives from the Banc dels Aliments (Food Bank). This year, the campaign aims to raise awareness about "new poverty," situations where employment or a pension is insufficient to cover essential expenses like food, housing, and utilities.
The Banc dels Aliments warns that the rising cost of living, which has increased by 21% between 2020 and 2025, has pushed many families into this precarious state. "Having a job no longer guarantees in all cases that a family can pay for housing, electricity, and basic utilities while still having enough to buy adequate food," they state.
As a new initiative, nine municipal markets in Barcelona have joined the campaign. These markets will accept donations that will be used to purchase fresh produce from the stalls themselves, which will then be distributed by local social entities to needy residents. The director of the Banc dels Aliments de Barcelona, Elisabet Viladomiu, expressed the goal to "continue growing" and "consolidate" this collaboration.
To facilitate the collection of food and donations, approximately 15,000 volunteers will participate throughout Catalonia, with around 10,500 in the Barcelona province. The objective is to gather essential items such as milk, oil, rice, pasta, legumes, canned goods, and children's products to assist the 170,000 Catalans who require food assistance monthly.
