Soup loses meat, carrots disappear from the lunch box and donations of basic food baskets decrease

Homeless since 2020, mechanic Ricardo C., 22, asks for donations to buy a box of gum on an avenue in downtown São Paulo. “Before, I used to sell chocolates with my wife at the door of a bus terminal. Now, we try to sell something cheaper, so people can buy it”, he says.

If inflation has been felt at the table of families of different income brackets in recent months, it takes on even more cruel contours for those who already have little.

On Wednesday (11), the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) announced that April inflation by the IPCA (Broad Consumer Price Index) reached 12.13% in 12 months — the highest level since 2003.

In one month, the main impacts came from food and beverages (2.06%), with emphasis on items that have always been part of the daily lives of families, such as long-life milk (up 10.31%), potato (18.28%), tomato (10.18%), soybean oil (8.24%), French bread (4.52%) and meat (1.02%)

With the rise in food prices, entities and projects that work with donations of basic food baskets, soups and snacks have been walled off: on the one hand, the rise in prices makes more families seek food donations; on the other hand, inflation has reduced the number of donations.

“Before, we could spend the night and, if we asked nicely, they would give us three soups. Now, there are so many people asking that we can’t get more than one”, says AG, 27, from Pernambuco and living in a improvised tent in the central region of the city.

The most recent Census of the Homeless Population, released by the city of São Paulo in January, showed a 230% increase in improvised housing on public roads.

According to associations heard by the Sheet, the demand for donations has doubled in recent months, compared to the end of last year. At the same time, rising vegetable prices have led to rationing of items such as carrots and tomatoes.

Meat has become a luxury item and now only appears on the menu once a week. Chicken, only occasionally.

“First, people were no longer able to buy meat. Afterwards, it was no longer possible to buy eggs. Everything went up in price and the poorest are the ones who suffer the most”, says Rabbi Berel Weitman, from the Israeli Beneficent Institution Ten Yad,

Serving more than 2,000 meals a day, the institution also suffers from rising costs. “As we help many elderly people, food has to be balanced. At the beginning of the pandemic, people were more aware of the importance of donating, but now everyone is without money”, says Weitman.

In search of more security to guarantee food production, institutions have sought partnerships with companies.

“Our main raw material is vegetables, we complement it with beans and pasta. As prices have increased a lot, we have been able to buy less and less with the same money”, says Alanna Lima dos Santos, assistant for the coordination of the Sopão with Affection, created by Ten Yad during the pandemic and serving between 200 and 250 meals a day, in Bom Retiro.

The monthly costs, which were R$19,000, rose to another R$25,000, she says. They also saw a drop in the number of donations, while demand increased, not only from homeless people, but also from employees of garment factories in the region.

“In order not to reduce the quality of the food, we had to reduce the 200 daily portions to 180 in some days”, says the assistant. “We always used meat and we stopped buying it. We manage to put chicken in the soup from time to time, but we can’t always put it in anymore.”

“With R$100, we were able to assemble a basic basket with rice, beans, pasta, cookies and milk. Now, we can still make a basket for donations, but smaller”, says Maria do Carmo, from Muca (United Movement dos Camelôs), from Rio de Janeiro.

A kilo of beans had to be taken out of the baskets to keep the rice; the biscuit came out to hold half the amount of noodles. “The famine is very high and the ready-made baskets, even in the cheapest places, have increased and we have had to decrease our donations”, she says.

The main increase noted in recent months was in inputs, which have gone up a lot, such as packages of soup and coffee cups, says Guilherme Assumpção, from the Pãozinho Solidário project, which distributes, on average, 600 meals on Wednesday nights in the center of Sao Paulo.

As it managed to establish partnerships for food production, the group was able to cushion part of the effects of food inflation.

“We have three delivery points in the center, in simultaneous groups. We made a chain of partnerships, for the production of breads. The soup and noodles come from donations from a restaurant in the center”, he says. He also says he has noticed an increase in demand for donations, with the impoverishment of families.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE TO PROJECTS:

Soup with affection:

Via PIX or bank transfer to:
Bradesco Bank, AG. 1322
Account: 259499-4
CNPJ: 69.127.793/0001-00

Muca (Camelô Movement):

Donations can be made at the solidarity kitchen (av. Mem de Sá, 25, Lapa, Rio). More information by phone: (21) 9-9388-9014

Ten Yad:

Information for donations by PIX or bank slip can be found on the project website:
https://tenyad.org.br/doe/

Solidarity Bread:

Information for donations and product sales are on the project website: https://linktr.ee/paozinhosolidario