FEAD 2018 Catalogue of case studies

WHY? Food Distribution Centres (or CDAs) were introduced in Girona, a province of Catalonia, in 2009 as a response to the increased need for food provision to the most deprived after the economic crisis hit Spain. The lack of stable food supply to food distribution centres encouraged the managing institutions to partner up with food donors such as supermarkets to set up ‘solidary supermarkets’. WHAT? CDAs look like commercial supermarkets, although they are supplied by municipalities. These solidarity supermarkets provide food products and basic household products, allowing families at risk of poverty and exclusion to choose the specific items they need or desire, ensuring the process is dignified and reducing queuing time . The project has been used as a model to design other food distribution centres in the country. In addition to food distribution, the centres also deliver workshops on how to optimise household incomes, as well as on nutrition, gender empowerment, domestic repairs, etc. These workshops have been supported by FEAD in the last two years, thanks to the financial contribution dedicated to accompanying measures. Images © Syda Productions, Shutterstock.com, 2018 Spain – Solidarity supermarkets to dignify food distribution Spanish Food Bank Federation Diverse approaches to supporting Europe’s most deprived: FEAD case studies 2018 60