Ara builds the first food bank in the Pacific
THE FIRST FOOD BANK IN THE PACIFIC
Buenaventura, the Spanish word for Good Fortune, is located on the Pacific coast of Colombia and is the city where one of the country’s most important ports is located. It handles all types of cargo, including pivotal raw materials for agriculture as food supplies. Moreover, Buenaventura is a stronghold of Afro-Colombian culture, and it has a widely known culinary and musical tradition.
This seashore town is engulfed by bays kept intact by Uramba Bahia National Park, and it is a hotspot for wildlife, especially humpback whales, who choose this spot to give birth to their babies.
Colombia’s Pacific region has always been synonymous with diversity, lush vegetation, culture and top sports stars. At the same time, local people have had to contend with serious social and economic problems. Violence, unemployment and unmet basic needs have for years been a feature of the region, casting a shadow over this paradise of biodiversity. The reality is that only 79% of the population have access to drinking water, whilst only 55% are served by sewage systems. The rural power grid reaches only 73.9%.
Of all the difficulties faced by the region, one of the most alarming is that of malnutrition, affecting people of all ages, but with especially worrying and devastating consequences in children. Between 2018 and 2023, 445 cases of acute malnutrition were reported in children under five, with a total of 15 child deaths attributable to this condition over the same period.
In this context, having a Food Bank in Buenaventura helps to respond to this pressing need. In 2024, “the efforts of the network of Food Banks to combat food insecurity in Colombia’s Pacific region reached only 6% of the population needing help. This has persuaded us to mobilise a range of allies to extend our cover in the region,” explained Juan Carlos Buitrago, CEO of the ABACO food bank network in Colombia.
The start-up of this new food bank is planned to reach around 35,000 people living in vulnerable situation in the Pacific region. This initiative represents not only an effective response to the serious food insecurity faced by the region, but also a joint effort by the private sector, welfare organisations and the government sector. In the meantime, future strategic link-ups with business will ensure that the food bank is sustainable and able to grow, as well as fostering social responsibility and a commitment to community development.
Knowing the value that is generated for society when private enterprise joins forces with welfare causes, in 2024 Jerónimo Martins Colombia decided to build the first Food Bank in Buenaventura, designed to bring the social change that the company promotes not only as a core business value, but also in line with its vision of bringing a better life to the people of Colombia.
According to Nuno Sereno, CEO of Ara, “we have contributed for the construction of this food bank because of the situation in the region and because of our responsibility and commitment to democratising access to food in Colombia”. A well-equipped food bank with the right facilities, including adequate storage, a cold store and other top-quality features, will serve families in Buenaventura, but also people in neighbouring districts, such as Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Cauca and Nariño.
