Madrid social diner project feeds 100 people per day

A VOLUNTEER project in Madrid which provides a ‘social diner’ – a café providing regular, free meals for people in need – that has gathered support from a variety of big name companies and a Real Madrid footballer, is looking for help to keep the service going.

Manos de Ayuda Social took over a huge, 560-square-metre space in Madrid’s Ciudad Lineal suburb, donated to them by a local business, which they have spent many long, hard hours completely renovating to turn it into a clean and welcoming environment where people can drop by for a tasty and nutritious meal.

They now help more than 100 people a day. Volunteer coordinator Susana Fernandez told Euro Weekly News: “The people that we serve in general are middle class, who because of adverse circumstances, have fallen into difficult economic and personal situations; families with small children in the process of eviction, people with chronic illnesses who cannot afford the expenses for medical treatments or pregnant mothers at risk of poor nutrition.

“This resource offers a point of support since some of them have told us some real tragedies. All of the volunteers have been very moved by these stories because they have shown that any one of us could fall into the same situation.”

The registered charity is now looking for help in two particular ways – either individual donations or corporate sponsorship that would pay for permanent kitchen staff, or corporate volunteering where companies send staff to volunteer for a specified period of time.

For more information or if you think you could help, see their website or contact them in any of the following ways:

Tel/fax +34 913 567 400

+34 629 333 921

administracion@manosayudasocial.org

www.manosayudasocial.org

www.facebook.com/ComedorSocialVentas

@ComedorVentas