ASIA/MACAO - Caritas and government give life to the Food Bank in Macao, for families affected by the economic crisis

Macao (Agenzia Fides) - Yesterday, September 26, the Food Bank was born in Macao, run by Caritas in collaboration with the Social Welfare Bureau of MSAR (Macao Special Administrative Region) Government, to meet the most urgent needs of disadvantaged families who are facing the effects of the global economic crisis. According to information gathered by Fides, on September 21 a 2-year contract was signed, for a "Food help temporary service", between Caritas in Macao and the Social Welfare Bureau of MSAR Government. In fact, the Macao government had already experienced such initiative in 2009, during the first phase of the economic crisis, offering 270 thousand meals to families with low income or whose adult members were unemployed. This time the government wanted to make an agreement with Caritas in Macao because it considered the great efforts of the charitable Catholic organization in the social ministry, expressed through family visits, knowledge of real needs, the continuity of their commitment after the emergency. ...According to representatives of the government "today there are many poor families who are invisible. For various reasons, shame or misinformation, these families do not know or do not want to seek the help they really need. The work of Caritas allows us to identify their real needs by offering targeted support ". So over the next two years, Caritas will manage a government fund of 10 million dollars in Macao to offer help in 6 000 households. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 27/09/2011)