Orihuela´s Plenary Meeting turns down CLR´s suggestion to open “Social Dining Room” for families during the crisis

The CLR spokeman at the Town Hall of Orihuela, Pedro Mancebo, believes that "this service would be a great benefit to needy families in our area, who through no fault of their own, in the majority of cases due to losing their jobs and the financial crisis, find themselves living on the or, in the worst case, below the breadline”.

Who believes today that poverty is something which only affects other countries is very much mistaken. Pedro Mancebo Gilabert, Orihuela Town Councillor and spokesman of the CLR party, informed us that according to the EC, the level of poverty is defined according to the number of families and poor people who have to survive on less than 60% of the average income of their country.  Pedro Mancebo reported further that here in Spain this situation affects nearly 20% of households.

It is estimated that more than half of the basic benefits provided by the social services are financed for the Town Halls who in return set aside between 6% and 10% of their annual budget for the abovementioned group. According to Spanish Law 7/85 Town Halls, whose town or district has more than 20,000 inhabitants, are obliged to grant social benefits.

The Town Councillor informed us this is something he feels very strongly about and it is the CLR´s intention to make sure that needy families, especially ones with young children, in Orihuela and Orihuela Costa receive the support and assistance they need. One suggestion which Pedro Mancebo confirmed they proposed at the Plenary meeting which was held on Tuesday February 23, 2010, would be the organizing of what is referred to in Spanish as “comedor social” (which are in good old fashioned terms a soup kitchen) or social dinning room.

Pedro Mancebo informed us further that at the moment there are approximately 24,000 seats nationwide in these “social dining rooms”. These are not only offered to people or families with little financial income, but are also available to people who have been excluded from normal society or who have suffered serious economical problems. The majority of these type of dining rooms are run and organized by charity organizations who rely on financial help from the public, subsidies and concerts for example.   

The majority of the meals provided in the dining rooms are free of charge. However, sometimes meals are offered at a symbolical price of 50 Cents, 1€ or 2€.  Pedro Mancebo said the service offered in the dining rooms differs from town to town. Some offer a warm meal at lunchtime, others offer lunch and dinner, some offer the three daily meals i.e. breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“We believe this service would be a great benefit to needy families in our area, who through no fault of their own, in the majority of cases due to losing their jobs and the financial crisis, find themselves living on the or, in the worst case, below the breadline” commented Pedro Mancebo.

The dining rooms also fulfil another important part of daily life. Not only do they provide the needy with a warm meal but they also offer people a step back onto the social ladder. They offer for example the elderly or unemployed a chance to meet and get together, groups of people who are usually cut off or not included in our daily comings and goings.

The CLR spokeman at the Town Hall of Orihuela explained that the situation is aggravated by the number of foreigners or people in precarious economic situations (the unemployed, the elderly withdrawing pensions but not contributing etc.,) but utilize the social dining rooms to continue paying the accommodation and then save on the expenditure which was supposed to be for the meals. Pedro Mancebo commented further that due to the crisis the number of needy people and families has increased and it is the government´s obligation to supply meals and food to these people.

During 2009 the economic crisis affected the most vulnerable within our society and was related directly to the increase in unemployment. This then naturally has a knock on effect and the demand for social services and assistance increases.

This is a vicious circle for families, who for instance have lost their jobs and are confronted with payments for their houses or apartments, electricity, water and other monthly outgoings and cannot afford to buy food for their children and themselves.

Pedro Mancebo concluded by reiterating again his and the CLR´s feelings regarding the members of our community who are living on or even below the breadline and for this reason this was one of the main points on the CLR party´s agenda to be presented at the Plenary Meeting at the Town Hall of Orihuela last 23rd February.
 
The spokeman of the CLR Party was disappointed and surprised last week when the suggestion to open “a social dining room” to families and the needy during the crisis was turned down at the Plenary Meeting held at the Town Hall in Orihuela. The Town Councillor and spokesman of the CLR Party, Pedro Mancebo, argued that it should be possible in these difficult times to provide needy residents with a warm meal at a reasonable price every day as it is done in many other Spanish cities (e.g. Murcia or Elche).

According to the social welfare spokeswoman, Araceli Vilella, of the PP Party, these social dining rooms function well in Madrid but one should not extrapolate these to the social requirements of Orihuela where the social network functions perfectly and then the dining rooms having to be run by volunteers.

The spokesman of The Green Party, Manuel Culiañez, commented further that although he believes the Town Hall could do much more to assist the needy, his party do not feel that a social dining room would cover the needs and encourage social rehabilitation into society. The Green Party also agree with more personnel to assist and the requirement of funds for social welfare but from a more modern approach.

Juan Jose Cubi, the spokesman of the Socialist Party argued that “soup kitchens” are antiquated and he believes if a family is having problems they would not like this to be known. He commented further the majority of people do not want the feeling that they are excluded from society and they prefer direct assistance.

Pedro Mancebo commented that while listening to and taking on board the comments of the other parties, himself and the CLR party believe there is a big demand for these social dining rooms. The one existing in Elche, for instance, receives more than 100 people every day and it works perfectly to cover the needs of many people. Pedro commented “I feel that my colleagues in the other parties are missing the real point. I have actually seen the problems with my own eyes and believe me there is nothing embarrassing about making sure you and your children have a warm meal each day. It is not only needy families, through loss of jobs etc., who need assistance we also have many older residents whose pensions, through no fault of their own due to the financial climate, have been radically reduced. A few years ago these residents could live comfortably on their pensions here in Spain now they are really struggling”. Pedro concluded that the CLR Party still strongly believe there is a big need for these social dining rooms.  

OCMdigital