Since the start of the pandemic, Geneva’s Partage food bank has been mobilised. Overview of the various measures taken from the start of the containment.
Vouchers
In mid-March 2020, an emergency unit – bringing together the Colis du Coeur, the Protestant Social Centre (CSP) and Partage – was set up to distribute food vouchers to individuals and families in precarious situations. These vouchers are provided to anyone who has been issued with a certificate by approved social services. Demand has exploded since the start of the pandemic: every week, almost 500 new beneficiaries receive a certificate for this emergency scheme. By the end of April, almost 7,500 people living in Geneva had already received support.
In addition to the Colis du Cœur, several other solidarity grocery shops that usually receive goods from Partage are no longer calling on their volunteers as a precautionary measure; they are asking Partage to provide them with vouchers for their beneficiaries, instead of basic necessities.
Purchase of essential foodstuffs
To compensate for the lack of unsold goods from supermarkets since the start of the pandemic, Partage is buying fruit, vegetables, milk and eggs to meet the needs of its partner associations.
Direct distribution
From the end of April, Partage will be distributing nappies and/or sanitary towels directly from its warehouse to beneficiaries of its partner associations, in order to relieve the expenses of low-income families. Volunteers are recruited especially for the occasion, to man the phones and make appointments.
Local solidarity
The food bank lends a helping hand to the Caravane de Solidarité association. To support their efforts, Partage provides basic necessities such as pasta, rice and hygiene products. For the distribution on 9 May 2020, Partage provided nearly 8 tonnes of food to the Caravane de Solidarité. Every Saturday in May, thousands of people in financial difficulty wait at Les Vernets, sometimes for several hours, to collect a food parcel worth CHF 20.
Harvest Samedi du partage
As a precautionary measure, the June 2020 collection in Geneva shops will have to be cancelled. To compensate for the loss of merchandise, an online collection of monetary donations will be launched on 5 June via the www.samedidupartage.ch.
This will help Partage to continue distributing to around fifty associations active in the fight against poverty in the canton of Geneva. More information on the associations supported by Partage
Read the article of Tribune de Genève.