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5TH - 11TH MAY 2020 - EDITION 837
Tel: 966 701 060 | office@costablancapeople.com | costablancapeople.com
Your Essential Weekly Read
La Florida locals give food parcels When the lockdown hit quick and hard at midnight on Friday 13th March it wiped out the livelihoods of thousands of people - and local communities here in the southern Costa Blanca were no exception. The overnight closure of bars and restaurants with little warning and certainly no time for preparation left many local residents with no income. One couple who found themselves in need was Fred and Mick Brome, Fred or Sparkle as he’s lovingly known, is a familiar face on Orihuela Costa working first at The Local and then moving with the owners to their new venture at Legends in Playa Flamenca Commercial Centre. Realising that the couple would have no income and had rapidly used any savings for food, friends rallied round and dropped food parcels on the doorstep. The kindness they received struck home and once the couple had stocked cupboards they decided to pass on the surplus to others in need and give back some of the kindness they had been shown. Fred explained: “La Florida has a neighbourhood facebook page called La Florida Friends which was set up by Linda Shepherd and so we used this to ask if people how we could spread the help and we had a huge, positive response. With Linda permission we tagged onto the neighbourhood page with our own called ‘La Florida Friends Food Bank’. We have to work within the lockdown restrictions and so last week we asked people to bring food to
Gama Supermarket in La Florida at 12noon. We chose that time to walk our dogs so we could collect the donations – and were overwhelmed at people’s generosity.” In less than a week the Food Bank has helped 18 families – which equates to 49 individuals - including English, Spanish and Russian nationalities and from the wider Orihuela Costa community, not just those in La Florida. The parcels are delivered within the restriction guidelines and dropped on doorsteps. Most of the people helped have been suggested by their friends but those in need can also get in touch directly through the facebook page. Pablo, owner of La Familia restaurant in La Florida, donated cases of pasta, flour, sugar, rice, coffee, tomato frito and a huge stock of carrier bags which the guys are quickly distributing. Fred said: “We had a family of two adults and four children who had just eggs left in the kitchen, no other food left at all and no money to get any. The look on their faces when we dropped the food parcel was the best sight ever.” Anyone who wishes to help can take food to Gama in La Florida at midday every day or get in touch through the face book page. Alternatively these contact points can be used to request help directly or for someone you know. Fred and Mick are keen to point out that the food bank does not take cash donations. However, they are able to advise on what food stuffs are needed and people can then buy the food
themselves and donate it. A list of what is needed is also updated daily on the Facebook page. For example, La Florida local Sheila Chinnock is currently auctioning one of her paintings on- line and has a shopping list from the food bank which she will buy with the money raised. Many of the families will need continued support each week and even though lockdown is easing it could take three or four months before people get payments or wages though and are able to catch up financially, so please get in touch with La Florida Friends Food Bank if you can help in any way.