Food for the hungry in Peru - 15th October 2021

In Peru, lots of people are hungry. They get food from places called soup kitchens.

There are 2,300 soup kitchens in the capital city, Lima. 250,000 families use them. This number is growing.

Supermarkets and markets throw away a lot of food. These people want this to stop. They want to use some of the food in the soup kitchens.

Javier Panauka Merma: "Unfortunately, with these price increases, gas, petrol, electricity, people are really starving. Many neighbours have nothing to eat at the moment, the oil is too expensive. The soup kitchens can't cook anymore."

The main market throws away lots of food every day. Only five percent of the food goes to hungry people. The market and the supermarket bosses are afraid. Saving food for hungry people will bring lots of people together. But coronavirus is still a big problem in Peru.

Ericko Tueroconza: "Food recovery is what is not sold but cannot be thrown away. There are still products that are edible and that can be used in soup kitchens and that is why this recovery is favoured by soup kitchens to appease hunger."

Now, these people want to speak to the city's mayor. It's important they get his help. Without food people will become very sick.