On March 27, the Porto Alegre Light-Network, affiliated with the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Federation (FIHF) and the Instituto Porto-Alegrense de Arte Educação (Art Education Institute from Porto Alegre – IPDAE), carried out the distribution of 200 food kits and one thousand seedlings of vegetables and greens to the community of Lomba do Pinheiro, in the Southern Zone of the city, with the aim of fostering the food security of the local community.
Since the beginning of the pandemic and the consequent worsening of the vulnerability of the population, both institutions have combined efforts to minimize the suffering of those who are most affected by the current situation.
The initiative seeks to attend to the families and residents around the IPDAE that do not receive any other kind of help, having made available to them more than 1,400 food kits and 7,000 seedlings for cultivation.
The distribution of seedlings is part of the Hortas Caseiras (Home Gardens) Project, which aims at changing the current paradigms regarding the assistance rendered to the community, meaning that people receive food, but they are also encouraged to produce their own food.
Besides encouraging the action of the individuals to complement their nutrition, the project of cultivation of home gardens serves as an efficient alternative that brings good physical, mental and emotional health, as the contact with the earth fosters well-being, relaxation, harmony, and liberates stress and anxiety.
Several families today already consume the food from their own gardens, and the next step of the project is expected to include a course to guide the families on best practices of cultivation in face of the difficulties they find.
