Foodbank sees 30% increase in demand since beginning of health crisis

The Banc dels Aliments foodbank has seen demand shoot up by 30% on average throughout Catalonia since the beginning of the Covid-19 health crisis, which it believes will continue to rise in the coming months.

In the Barcelona area alone, Banc dels Aliments has received four times the usual number of phone, email, and social media queries coming from people having difficulty purchasing enough food.

This year's figures speak for themselves: in Barcelona, Banc dels Aliments has distributed 1,457,403 kg of food since March 14. This is 38% higher than last year, when 1,052,505 kg were handed out between March 15 and April 30, while another 1,426,318 kg of food have also been distributed through the European Union's FEAD program.

Due to this heightened demand, Banc dels Aliments has had to authorize distribution from 46 more affiliated centers, bringing the total to 347, to provide food to some 125,000 people.