ASOCIACION GALDAKAOKO GBGE BOLUNTARIOEN GIZARTE ELKARTEA

GBGE (Galdakaoko Boluntario in Gizarte Elkartea) is the volunteers association of Galdakao (Biscay province) that is responsible, among other things, of the food distribution to the most disadvantaged families in the town, in collaboration with the social services of Galdakao (Galdakaoko Udala) and other entities such as the BAB (Bizkaia Food Bank). Today we provide assistance to about 400 people per month, distributing in an organized and personalized way around 3,200 kilos per month of food and basic necessities (hygiene items and clothing). Another of our most well-known projects is Solidary Fridge (Nevera Solidaria), a pioneering initiative that fights against food waste. The first Solidary Fridge started on April 29, 2015 in Galdakao, thanks to the coordination between GBGE and the City Council of the town. Today we have 24 refrigerators distributed throughout the whole state. In addition, we have an International Cooperation project in Mongolia, building and maintaining, together with a local association, daycare centers for disabled kids and/or at risk of social exclusion. Although GBGE finished the humanitarian aid project for refugees and forced migrants in Greece more than a year ago, it has never lost its commitment and interest in this area. Since we arrived to Galdakao, we have had regular conversations with other associations and foundations that work with this sector, collaborating as much as possible in their actions: either by giving our vehicles, helping with awareness campaigns and denunciation, etc. Last November, two volunteers of the association have given part of their house to GBGE. Specifically, it is being used for cases of social emergency: several rooms have been given to us so we can accommodate people of extreme vulnerability. One of these people was A.I. a Libyan refugee who went to Galdakao thanks to the collaboration of the City Council and CEAR (Spanish Committee of Refugees Aid). At first he came with his wife and three children but after a few months he was left alone. GBGE gave him a room, as well as help to fix bureaucratic procedures and, even, support in his Spanish classes. On the other hand, we have another person staying in another room: I.F. An undocumented 18-year-old Moroccan boy who, after coming of legal age (he came to Spain at the age of 16 hiding under a truck) has been left out of any government aid. This boy has been with us for more than 2 months, receiving linguistic, bureaucratic support, as well as accommodation and maintenance in a disinterested way. Finally, we have another room in which a refugee woman (O.I.) and her 8 year old son (K.O) from Mongolia. Finally, this year we have developed another new project: REXCATERING, together with the Residuo Cero Foundation. A service proposal which focuses on the construction of food bridges, mainly between potential recipients and places where we can find leftover food made in/for collectives (school canteens, nursing homes, day centres, hospitals and so on) as well as surplus which might be produced in the agrifood chain for whatever reason (faulty packaging, quality policies, best before dates…) and potential recipients During these five years, GBGE has obtained the recognition of different influential people and media: Chelsea Clinton, National Geographic, The Huffington Post, National Public Radio USA, BBC, El Mundo, TVE, La Sexta ... We have also been awarded nationally and internationally: Solidarity Awards BBK-Deia, and we have been chosen as one of the organizations that has one of the 100 projects with the greatest positive impact in the world in the "Building a Strong Foundation" category of the Rodale publishing house with more than 160 million readers in 65 countries. Likewise, this year we have been nominated for the GoODS awards for the contribution of Nevera Solidaria (Solidarity Fridge) to the Sustainable Development Goal 2 in the 2030 Agenda: Put an end to hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and p