- Mensajeros de la Paz Canarias and Cruz Roja Española Las Palmas will distribute the more than 6,300 euro collected in this traditional space designed to help families from Gran Canaria
Today, Fundación Cepsa handed the 6,320 euro raised during the latest edition of its Casa de Navidad initiative to Mensajeros de la Paz Canarias (Canary Islands Messengers of Peace) and Cruz Roja Española Las Palmas (Spanish Red Cross Las Palmas). The money will fund projects that help improve the quality of life of children in Las Palmas.
The event, which took place at the Cabildo de Gran Canaria (the council of Gran Canaria), was attended by José Manuel Fernández-Sabugo, who heads up Cepsa, and represents Fundación Cepsa, in the Canary Islands; Isabel Mena, Social Policies councilor from the council of Gran Canaria; José Eduardo Ramírez, councilor for the Área de Movilidad, Promoción Económica y Ciudad de Mar (department for mobility, economic development and maritime city) from the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city council; and José Pereira, the head of the Canarian government's Programas de Prevención y Protección de Menores (prevention and protection of minors programs) department. The President of Mensajeros de la Paz Canarias, José Manuel Alfonso, also attended the event, as did María Vázquez, the member of the Las Palmas Comité Provincial (provincial committee), on behalf of Cruz Roja Española Las Palmas.
Mr. Fernández-Sabugo highlighted the empathy and generosity shown by the people of Gran Canaria, as well as their "solidarity and support, which encourages us to continue with our commitment to causes that go beyond money and seek to make a difference." "We are delighted to hand over their contributions to help projects for children run by two well-known and renowned organizations, whose magnificent work we admire and appreciate every day — a feeling which is only heightened in the situation we are currently experiencing due to the pandemic," said the representative of Fundación Cepsa.
As is customary, the Casa de Navidad (House of Christmas), located this time around in the El Muelle Shopping Center, had the support of the regional government, the Cabildo and the city council. The latest edition of the initiative attracted 5,770 visitors, 3,160 of whom made a donation of 2 euro to go in. Of the tickets handed out, 1,450 went to the social policies department of the local council and to the regional government, while 250 went to educational centers in Gran Canaria.
The Initiatives
The donations will enable Mensajeros de la Paz Canarias to cover part of the daily food needs of the children participating in the Refuerzo Nutricional en el Comedor Social San Cristóbal program, a nutritional aid program run at the San Cristobál soup kitchen. The NGO is currently providing 150 meals a day to families, whose children will have access to food in addition to what they get at home.
Cruz Roja Española Las Palmas will use the money it has received from its year-round Sus derechos en juego (right to play) toy campaign, the objective of which is to promote the use of games and toys as educational tools and to teach values for life at school and as a family, as well as to provide families with children and social difficulties with recreational materials.