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Updates from Serbia during COVID-19 crisis

The Food Bank Belgrade (FBB) was involved in a large project endorsed by the City of Belgrade, where the Food Bank contributed toprepare 178.000 food packages designated to the pensioners with pensions under €250. More than 200 volunteers worked in two shifts inside Štark Arena which was at our disposal to be used as a logistical support center over the duration of the project.

After finishing this project, the FBB launched the action “FOR LIFE” in collaboration with the Secretariat for Social Protection and the Adria media group.

In the framework of this action, 50 volunteers prepared 7.300 food packages, of the planned 8.000, that were distributed to the disabled persons and the children with special needs from the 17 Belgrade municipalities. The 200 municipality volunteers delivered the packages door to door to these two target groups.

This action was supported by many companies: Lidl, Ikea, Lesaffre, Atlantic group for sweets, Aleva for soups, Imlek for dairy products, a company for soaps etc.

Most of the big companies that received recommendations/ instructions from the government to support primarily the hospitals, donated also to the associations.

FBB’s aim is to prepare in total 30.000 packages during this difficult period and to distribute them to the most vulnerable in two big cities, one in the North and the second one in the South part of the country.

The majority of the associations in which the members are sick people (dystrophia, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis etc.) are not operational because of limited movements and circulation and so the packages are delivered directly to their home.

Food Bank Belgrade, among 10 relevant institutions and foundations, signed a request of exemption of the payment of VAT on donations, addressed to the Ministry of Finance, to be applicable till the end of October.

The distribution of fresh fruit and vegetables (FFV) from Delhaize distributive center to the associations is going on as well as the FFV collection in Delhaize markets. But the delegated collection of frozen, prepared chicken in the KFC restaurants was suspended last month.

The Food Bank also donated some food to different initiators that organize meals preparation for the homeless and other vulnerable people, in collaboration with a few restaurants.

Here are some links about the activities:

https://www.kurir.rs/odrziva-buducnost/3439353/kurir-grad-beograd-i-banka-hrane-pokrecu-veliki-projekat-za-pomoc-gradjanima-tu-smo-za-vas-jer-zajedno-mozemo-sve

https://www.kurir.rs/odrziva-buducnost/3442289/vreme-je-za-zajednistvo-pocela-podela-prvih-paketa-za-zivot

https://www.kurir.rs/odrziva-buducnost/3442943/paket-za-zivot-svako-ponaosob-za-dobrobit-svih-solidarnost-i-pomaganje-ugrozenih-nikada-nisu-imali-veci-znacaj