{"id":15567,"date":"2020-03-20T17:35:37","date_gmt":"2020-03-20T17:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/38.242.230.232\/~portoalities\/?p=15567"},"modified":"2021-11-17T10:04:47","modified_gmt":"2021-11-17T10:04:47","slug":"volunteer-porto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/portoalities.com\/en\/volunteer-porto\/","title":{"rendered":"7 ways to give back or volunteer in Porto"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Porto, the Northern Portuguese city we all love and appreciate is in urgent need of donors and volunteers in many areas including housing and healthcare.
If you\u2019re a permanent or a temporary resident in Porto, we encourage you to volunteer because it will help you to get to know the community and at the same time, give back. Volunteering in Porto is also an excellent way to make friendships with other fellow volunteers who are passionate about the same causes as you are.
Please bear in mind that due to the nature of volunteering \u2013 which will get you in contact with a lot of people in need, from homeless people to teenage mums \u2013 in most organizations and NGO\u2019s it is required at least a basic ability to properly speak Portuguese.
But if you don\u2019t have the time or your Portuguese skills s**k, making a donation, signing up as a supportive member or donate the 0.5% of your personal tax return will suffice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So let\u2019s talk important non-profit organizations and what we can do to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Housing & Food<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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CASA<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\"casa
CASA is an international NGO that aims to provide support, food and shelter for homeless people including children, the elderly, victims of domestic violence and social abandonment in general.<\/span>
Currently, CASA Porto delegation serves 200 dinners per night in a solidary restaurant<\/em> “a meal center” in the city centre. The meal center provides food to 100-150 homeless people on a weekly basis. CASA also distributes food baskets to around 100 families in Porto, specially to elderly people.<\/span>
CASA also works with the animal association Animais de Rua<\/a> to give support to the pets of the homeless people in Porto. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you contribute to Casa?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You can make private monetary donations through <\/span>its website<\/span><\/a>. Companies are also encouraged to donate as they will receive tax benefits. Another essential way to help is to contribute to CASA\u2019s supermarket food collection campaigns which are held 2-3 times a year, over the weekends<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to volunteer at CASA?

\"casa
You can volunteer once a week by joining one of its teams and start working at 7:30pm every day or on Saturday mornings. The teams either deliver food in night rounds or simply help at the meal center.<\/span>
The best way to get in touch with CASA for volunteering is through its Facebook pag<\/a>e.<\/span>
Anyone above 18 years old is welcome to volunteer, and anyone younger than that can participate in supermarket food collections.<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Re-food<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\"refood
In Portugal, people throw away 1 million metric tons of food and 17% of food goes to the trash without even reaching the consumers. That\u2019s why Re-food (a non-profit social support organization) takes excess food  and delivers it to those in need in our communities.<\/span>
Re-food was founded by Hunter Halder, who started picking excess food from 30 restaurants in Lisbon and delivering it to 50 people in need. In 2016, Re-food was recovering more than 46,000 meals a month from more than 900 partners and serving 2,500 people 5-6 times a week nationwide. <\/span>
In Northern Portugal, Re-food has operation centers in Foz do Douro, Maia-Centro, Ermesinde, Senhora da Hora, Le\u00e7a da Palmeira and Gaia-Centro.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you contribute to Re-food?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you own a restaurant or a supermarket, or if your company had a big buffet and not everything was consumed, contact Re-food <\/a> to give away the excess. Re-food provides food containers and arrives at the right time to ensure zero cost and maximum food collection, thus minimizing the impact on its partners.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to volunteer at Re-food?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\"refood
The supply chain of Re-food is fairly simple and very well organized, allowing volunteers to work in 2h shifts on one of the following task<\/span>
Collection: <\/span><\/i>Volunteer teams travel daily to collect food from Re-food\u2019s partners at the end of the day.<\/span>
Packing: <\/span><\/i>Other teams of volunteers meet at each Operations Center to distribute the collected food in packages. <\/span>
Distribution: <\/span><\/i>Volunteer teams deliver packages to families that same night. Most of Re-food\u2019s beneficiaries go straight to its designated Operation Center. But there are also some distribution points across the city. Finally, a smaller number of people – who have mobility issues – receive the food packages directly at their homes. <\/span>
Two hours a week is all that is needed from your time. Contact Re-food <\/a>to figure out the closest location you can volunteer at. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\"food
Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome in Porto started in 1994 as a small institution. It expanded over the years to become one of the most important social support organizations in Porto. <\/span>
Their goal is to help other social and non-private organizations by providing them with food to be distributed among local communities. Banco Alimentar is responsible for collecting food from partners and sorting it in packs according to each organization\u2019s requirements. Then the organizations themselves will deliver the packages to hundreds of families in Northern Portugal.<\/span>
The best known Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome\u2019s social initiative is the supermarket collections that take place twice an year. In its last supermarket collection, this NGO was able to collect 246 metric tons of products with the help of 3,400 volunteers. Those products were distributed to over 400 organizations which gave them to 69,000 people in need.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you contribute to Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Even though Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome has regular partners, the need still exceeds the supply as many organizations wait in line for help. Not only does this NGO lack the space in its warehouse, but it also lacks the means to deliver to more organizations.<\/span>
Therefore, food companies in particular are encouraged to contribute to this cause.<\/span>
Regular folks can also participate in Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome\u2019s supermarket collections by giving any food and\/or products including canned goods and packaged items.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to volunteer at Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\"food
At the moment, Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome in Porto has an average of 30 permanent volunteers. People are mostly needed in the warehouse, especially on Sunday nights when all food drop offs from supermarkets and restaurants are arriving.<\/span>
Anyone over the age of 16 can volunteer here. Signing up is fairly easy. You need to bring an ID, stop by at its warehouse, register and start helping. Also, you can signup through filling a form on its website or by phone. <\/span>
You can work from 8am – 8pm, depending on your availability. Your tasks will mostly consist of bundling packages to fit the specific requests of each organization that works with Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome.<\/span>
This association is in constant need of volunteers because of the location and poor accessibility. That\u2019s why we recommend people join a group of friends that are willing to share the cost of driving a car to the warehouse of this NGO.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health Care<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\"liga
Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro was built on two principles: humanization and solidarity. It was established in 1941 thanks to an initiative from Dr. Francisco Gentil, the same doctor who called for the first Portuguese cancer research institute in 1923.<\/span>
The mission of the institution today is to support cancer patients and their families. It is also involved in cancer research, cancer education and prevention. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can you contribute to Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You can help by doing something as simple as a phone call to Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro on 760 304 304, which costs 0.60\u20ac plus VAT per call.<\/span>
Furthermore, you can make a donation to one of the Liga\u2019s nationwide nuclei or become a member by donating a minimum annual quota of 15\u20ac. All you have to do is provide your address, then Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro will send you a sign up package via mail.<\/span>
Everyday, there are dozens of patients who need blood transfusions. So an important thing you can do to help cancer patients is to make blood donations to the <\/span>Portuguese Oncology Institute in Porto<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to volunteer at the Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\"liga
Volunteering for Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro is a serious process. Over-18-years-old candidates have to attend an interview, then take a training program followed by a 4 months internship in the desired volunteering area. You are also required to dedicate a minimum of three straight hours \/ week to this NGO.<\/span>
Even though Liga Portuguesa Contra o Cancro has several different national wide volunteer programs, the only one available in Porto is hospital volunteering, where you get to support cancer patients and ease their suffering. Most of the tasks consist of<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n