Refood’s facilities, which operate in a space of the Foz do Douro parish council, in the western part of the city of Porto, were vandalized during this night, having been stolen a van, essential for the project that supports about 90 people .
“At 10:30 pm the board left and everything was fine – when we returned in the morning it was no longer,” says Sofia Reis. “Someone entered Refood, the doors were vandalized – the lock was broken – and they entered our operations center,” he tells the SAPO24.
“There was food all over the place, I think they were eating yogurt and etc.”, describes the vice-coordinator of the entity, not being able to specify how much food was taken.
The assailants also took the gloves used for handling food.
“The main thing, which worries us a lot, because it is something indispensable for our work, was the fact that they opened the gate and took our van.”
At this moment the organization is already handling all the procedures, but calls on anyone who sees the Fiat van, with the number 91-JQ-53 and Refood stickers, to contact the police.
“Food is one of those things that come back with donations – and they didn’t even take everything, just a part. But the van is one of those essentials, which, having disappeared …”
Refood is a voluntary movement with several centers spread across the country, which works to eliminate food waste, with the collection of meals and their subsequent distribution to beneficiaries. This nucleus in the parish of Foz do Douro, in Porto, currently supports 30 to 40 families, a number that increased during the covid-19 pandemic.
In an appeal published in the early afternoon, on social networks, the organization asks whoever “sees the Fiat-branded Re-food van in gray, circulate, PF call the police to say where you are!”
To Lusa, this official says she believes that the assailants “should be starving” and that they “took advantage” to take some goods.
Contacted by Lusa, the president of the Parish Council of União das Freguesias Aldoar, Foz do Douro and Nevogilde, said that the assailants entered the part (prefabricated) in which the municipality had an atelier for the elderly, but of which nothing took.
Nuno Ortigão stated that the space given to Refood was the one that was most affected, stressing that they are already proceeding “to change all the locks”.
The mayor said that a formal complaint will be filed with the PSP.
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