By SOPHIE MCCARRICK – [email protected]
A safe haven providing Portimão’s neediest citizens with a hot meal three times a week has been forced to vacate its premises on April 15 and left on the streets.
The Soup Kitchen of Portimão (A Cozinha) is a non profit charity organisation, initiated and supported by the International Christian Fellowship Church (ICFC), who began serving hot meals over one year ago.
Due to generous support from the Lynford Trust, who supplies a monthly rent allowance of €150 to the Soup Kitchen, the initiative was able to combine their funds with two other groups to pay rent monthly and share the premises.
Unfortunately this month, the additional groups moved on, and with the average monthly rental fee for a large room at €500 to €600, the Soup Kitchen was inevitably made homeless, left in the lurch and unable to pay the rent alone.
The group is now urgently in need of new premises to allow them to feed close to 100 needy people three times per week.
In desperate measures, the ICFC have temporarily began providing a basic meal of a hearty soup, sandwiches, fruit, cake and a drink of squash from their small multipurpose church room in Portimão (International Christian Fellowship, C.C Cedipraia Loja 23, Rua N. S do Amparo, off the Avenida 25 de Abril).
At the church, these meals will continue to be offered by volunteers three times per week on Sundays at 2pm, Mondays at 3pm and Wednesdays at 6pm.
Volunteer Joy Borgan told the Algarve Resident: “The demand for the Soup Kitchen is just as great as ever; the people really need it. All we require is a space large enough for some tables and chairs. If anyone can help, we would be most grateful.”
“We are hoping that there may be some kind-hearted individual who has a large room he or she is willing to allow us to use,” she added.
In order for the Soup Kitchen to continue, a space in the Portimão area is required urgently, that can offer a large room with water and electricity available.
Regular volunteers of the kitchen are available to provide the necessary tables, chairs, food and assistance, however a location for meals to be served is now the only thing standing between the needy receiving a hot meal.
Joy concluded: “We can’t let these people down as they really depend on our help.”
If anyone is able to donate funds to help with rent, offer information on a suitable location or can provide premises free or at low cost, please contact Joy Borgan on 917 358 098 or 282 042 836 or email [email protected]
