Iona Napier
AN incredible 54,891 meals were served up in Spain’s soup kitchens in 2014.
Volunteers in their droves came to the rescue of people struggling to put food on the table.
Spain’s food refuges were full to bursting in 2014, with 11.7% more mouths to feed than in 2012 according to INE’s recent statistics.
Across the nation’s 619 shelters, volunteers served up 18,998 breakfasts, 19,025 lunches and 16,868 dinners in 2014.
However, the good news is that the number of people spending the night in Spanish refuges fell from 14,038 to 13,654 (2.8%).
Spain’s capacity for providing beds is 16,486 in the summer months and last year saw an average occupation of 83.1%.
But occupation was far higher in Ceuta (128%), the Canary Islands (99%) and Melilla (98%).
Murcia (55%) saw the lowest demand for a bed for the night, followed by La Rioja (64%).
Wait a minute, the Spanish recovery was supposed to be in full swing, loads of new jobs and house prices all rising, and yet people are still struggling to put food on the table? Surely not? How mad is it that we have millions of empty homes in Spain that no one can sell, and yet we still have homeless on the streets.