Gran Recapte food drive collects 1,500 tonnes of donations

The sixteenth edition of the Gran Recapte, Catalonia’s largest annual food drive, collected around 1,500 tonnes of food donations, similar to last year.

The provisional figure could grow in the coming days, the director of Barcelona Food Bank, Elisabet Viladomiu, explained on Sunday, with some products still to be delivered to the logistics headquarters.

While the focus was on donations in supermarkets across Catalonia on Friday and Saturday, the campaign runs until December 5.

Financial donations can be made online through the Gran Recapte website and via Bizum (33596) until that date.

Some €5.86 million was raised during the 2023 edition.

15,000 volunteers

After two days of intense work with 2,200 collection points in commercial establishments throughout Catalonia, Viladomiu heralded the success once again of the the initiative. 

"People have donated again," she said, highlighting the support of more than 15,000 volunteers.

There were, however, some collection points that ultimately were not covered by volunteers or coordinators.

Around 2,700 volunteers will now classify the food over the next two weeks, by type and expiration date, before the donations are delivered to charities and social entities that provide food aid.