The charity and support fund Maisto bankas (Food Bank) is now active in Šilutė. With the aid of City Service the support fund now distributes food donated in shopping centres to non-governmental organisations working in the social welfare field.

Around 840 kg foodstuffs is distributed each week, to over 400 people in need. The support is distributed in a warehouse, located in City Service premises.

“These are just the first steps of support in the town, but of great importance to its residents in need. In the autumn, Šilutė will join other Lithuania towns, involved in direct receipt of food, under the initiative of Maisto bankas”, states Mrs. Loreta Danupienė, Maisto bankas Klaipėda department manager.

“As we have been actively assisting  Maisto bankas in Klaipėda since the start of the year, we are happy to make ourselves useful in Šilutė too, which also has a number of people struggling to make  ends meet”, notes Mr. Mindaugas Genys, head of City Service Klaipėda region.

Among those receiving Maisto Bankas Aid in Šilutė are people supported by the catholic organisation Caritas, Šilutės sandora, the charity organisation of evangelic Lutherans, the Chernobyl movement in Lithuania, and Šilutė district committee, Gabrielius centre of psychotherapy rehabilitation.

City Service, which has been supporting Maisto bankas in Vilnius with premises and transport for a year now, has contributed to the expansion of the fund to Kaunas and Klaipėda. The charity activity directly involves a still larger number of company employees. As has happened before, they have assisted the fund in delivering support to the people in need; recently, over 50 City Service volunteers took part in the foodstuffs collection campaign in shopping centres across Lithuania.

Maisto bankas now operates across Lithuania as a mediator, connecting food producers, sellers and non-governmental charity organisations; the latter ensure foodstuffs reach charity beneficiaries. The charity principle, spread throughout Europe and USA, contributes to efficient use of foodstuffs and reduction of poverty.