On Friday October 4th, I took part in an initiative called “potatoes campaign” organised byGorata.bg – group, with the aim of addressing food needs in the poor villages around the city of Kazalak, along with fostering a sense of community solidarity and collaboration among institutions and the third sector.

Potato Collection

At the heart of the campaign is a simple yet impactful idea: collecting potatoes from local farms, and distributing them to institutions that support poor and marginalized people.

Indeed, potatoes are a staple and versatile food rich in nutrients and its production is an important agricultural sector in Bulgaria. Moreover, many slightly imperfect but still good for consumption potatoes were selected: a way to reduce waste that turned this initiative into an instrument to foster not only solidarity but also sustainability.

Sorting and Packaging:

Once the potatoes had been collected, they were delivered to the European Eco Center in Srednogorovo village.

Then, we, volunteers of European Solidarity Corps United and avant-garde artists, along with the help of other teams security house ZZ Optima, sort through them, ensuring quality and organizing them into 100 packages suitable for distribution.

Distribution

Successively, the packaged potatoes have been delivered to a network of charities, shelters and community centers that provide food to the underprivileged: elderly people living alone, military invalids, people with special needs, people living in institutions.

One of these was the local municipality of small town Shipka; on this occasion I also had the chance to meet the mayor who accompanied us to visit a canteen for old people that had been previously renovated and painted by the volunteers of European Solidarity Corps.

The second institution was the so called “Комплекс Социални Услуги за лица с увреждания” (“Complex Social Services for Persons with Disabilities”).

These establishments can use the potatoes to prepare meals or distribute them directly to families in need. For example, next monday we already planned an activity in the center for old people with disabilities which will involve these potatoes: I will teach them how to prepare Italian “gnocchi”!

Ylenia Majo