No food distribution to those in need in over a year
food distribution
22 Nov 2022
/ 21:23
CORFU. Deputy Regional Governor Melita Andrioti: The tender process that stopped due to preliminary appeals is in the final stage of evaluation. The aim is for the distributions to begin at the end of 2022.
Thousands of our fellow citizens in the Ionian Islands, who are eligible to the Fund for European Aid to the most Deprived (FEAD), have not received food aid for more than a year, due to preliminary appeals that stopped the tender announced last December by the Ionian Islands Region.
For 14 months now, those eligible under the programme have not received the aid they need and are entitled to in terms of food and basic necessities, due to a problem with the tender process, which resulted in the temporary contractor for the project being appointed only last October. The last distribution took place in September 2021 and since then the process has been halted.
The tender process for 2018-2019, following the modifications made to upgrade the programme to include items such as baby food, diapers and school supplies, was finally announced on 27 December 2021, with the aim to start distributions in February 2022.
However, two preliminary appeals followed that stopped the process for months and it was not until 11 October 2022 that the Tender Committee appointed a temporary contractor.
In the final stage
According to the Deputy Regional Governor for Social Welfare, Public Health and Employment Melita Andrioti, the tender process is currently in the final stage and within the next few days there will be the final contractor, in order for the project's contract to be signed. The aim is to start food distributions in all islands of the Region before the New Year.
This programme supports thousands of our fellow citizens in all areas of the Ionian Islands Region. In particular, based on the data of the six distributions that took place from February 2020 to September 2021, the beneficiaries were 4,213, of which more than 1,200 were from Corfu and Paxos.
At a time when high prices, low wages and unemployment are creating a difficult economic situation, it is necessary for the programme to start again as an extra help for vulnerable households.
The calls the Ionian Islands Regional Public Health and Social Welfare Department receives prove this, as interested citizens who were relying on the programme are asking when the distributions will finally begin. It is worth noting that those eligible to the FEAD programme are people eligible to the Social Solidarity Income, who have declared that they wish to participate in the programme.
At the Regional Council
The issue of the non-operation of the FEAD programme in the Ionian Islands and the delay of the tender process was discussed at the recent meeting of the Ionian Islands Regional Council, following a question by the leader of the ANASA party Theodoros Galiatsatos.
According to the Deputy Regional Governor Melita Andrioti, all efforts are currently focused on carrying out food distributions during the holidays. Mrs. Andrioti said that the current Regional Authority saved the programme from the great risk of exclusion and the threat of fiscal adjustment due to poor management of the programme in 2017.
She clarified that she signed the contracts for both accompanying projects that should have been signed by the previous Regional Authority as soon as the contract for the main project was signed in March 2019 for distribution of food and basic necessities worth €952,072, which were carried out by the Ionian Islands Region.
Items included in FEAD programme
However, the items to be distributed after the amendment of the list are the following: All-purpose flour, slightly concentrated tomato juice, pasta, rice, sugar, lentils, beans, extra virgin olive oil, beef, pork, gruyere, feta cheese, potatoes, oranges, apples, baby food, rice flour cream, powdered milk for infants, evaporated milk, toothpaste, toothbrush, powder laundry detegrent, all-purpose cleaner, shampoo, dishwashing liquid, diapers, baby wipes, school supplies (stationery, notebooks, pens, pencils, art supplies and other items needed at school), school bag.
For 14 months now, those eligible under the programme have not received the aid they need and are entitled to in terms of food and basic necessities, due to a problem with the tender process, which resulted in the temporary contractor for the project being appointed only last October. The last distribution took place in September 2021 and since then the process has been halted.
The tender process for 2018-2019, following the modifications made to upgrade the programme to include items such as baby food, diapers and school supplies, was finally announced on 27 December 2021, with the aim to start distributions in February 2022.
However, two preliminary appeals followed that stopped the process for months and it was not until 11 October 2022 that the Tender Committee appointed a temporary contractor.
In the final stage
According to the Deputy Regional Governor for Social Welfare, Public Health and Employment Melita Andrioti, the tender process is currently in the final stage and within the next few days there will be the final contractor, in order for the project's contract to be signed. The aim is to start food distributions in all islands of the Region before the New Year.
This programme supports thousands of our fellow citizens in all areas of the Ionian Islands Region. In particular, based on the data of the six distributions that took place from February 2020 to September 2021, the beneficiaries were 4,213, of which more than 1,200 were from Corfu and Paxos.
At a time when high prices, low wages and unemployment are creating a difficult economic situation, it is necessary for the programme to start again as an extra help for vulnerable households.
The calls the Ionian Islands Regional Public Health and Social Welfare Department receives prove this, as interested citizens who were relying on the programme are asking when the distributions will finally begin. It is worth noting that those eligible to the FEAD programme are people eligible to the Social Solidarity Income, who have declared that they wish to participate in the programme.
At the Regional Council
The issue of the non-operation of the FEAD programme in the Ionian Islands and the delay of the tender process was discussed at the recent meeting of the Ionian Islands Regional Council, following a question by the leader of the ANASA party Theodoros Galiatsatos.
According to the Deputy Regional Governor Melita Andrioti, all efforts are currently focused on carrying out food distributions during the holidays. Mrs. Andrioti said that the current Regional Authority saved the programme from the great risk of exclusion and the threat of fiscal adjustment due to poor management of the programme in 2017.
She clarified that she signed the contracts for both accompanying projects that should have been signed by the previous Regional Authority as soon as the contract for the main project was signed in March 2019 for distribution of food and basic necessities worth €952,072, which were carried out by the Ionian Islands Region.
Items included in FEAD programme
However, the items to be distributed after the amendment of the list are the following: All-purpose flour, slightly concentrated tomato juice, pasta, rice, sugar, lentils, beans, extra virgin olive oil, beef, pork, gruyere, feta cheese, potatoes, oranges, apples, baby food, rice flour cream, powdered milk for infants, evaporated milk, toothpaste, toothbrush, powder laundry detegrent, all-purpose cleaner, shampoo, dishwashing liquid, diapers, baby wipes, school supplies (stationery, notebooks, pens, pencils, art supplies and other items needed at school), school bag.
