| Contact information | Contact person |
| Sarlotes Street 1D, Riga, LV-1001, Latvia Phone: +371 67686304 E-mail: alla.zarkova@redcross.lv |
Head of EU Food Aid Program: Alla Zarkova |
On 16 April 2015 the LatRC and the Society Integration Foundation signed an agreement No. 2014.FEAD/PO.01/19.08 on the implementation of activities supported within the scope of the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived.
In accordance with the Regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Latvia and the signed agreement, the sets of food and basic material assistance can only be received by families or persons who have the following documents issued by the municipality social service:
- A reference on the compliance with the status of a deprived person;
- A reference (a decision) that certifies that the family (the person) has been deprived as a result of an emergency or crisis situation and has been issued due to the fact that the family (the person) has been assigned a single benefit in an emergency situation.
In accordance with the Regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic, packages of material assistance cannot be received by low-income persons.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE PACKAGES OF FOOD to the deprived inhabitants are taking place from 5 May 2015 in 337 LatRC distribution points throughout the territory of Latvia.
In accordance with the forecasts of the Ministry of Welfare:
- It is planned that sets of hygiene and household goods will be distributed starting from June 2015. In Riga the sets will be distributed from 19 May 2015 in the LatRC distribution points. In other distributions points in Latvia sets will be handed out from June;
- Sets of individual stationary and study materials – from July 2015;
- Additional events – from 5 May 2015.
The former European Commission’s (EC) Humanitarian Food Assistance Programme was transformed into the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived. 28 member states use its financing. In Latvia formerly the programme was operated by the Ministry of Agriculture, now it is replaced by the Ministry of Welfare. In the next seven years (2014-2020), with the help of European Union’s financing, the Latvian Red Cross plans to support the programme for providing sets of food and material assistance for the most deprived inhabitants of Latvia.
The LatRC has actively distributed sets of food since 2007. In 2013, in 415 LRC distribution points 1,127,371 sets of food were handed out to the deprived and low-income inhabitants of Latvia. The programme was implemented by representatives of the LatRC branches, social workers from the municipalities and over LatRC 2,800 volunteers.