Readers' question: Where can I leave food for the food bank?

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR Further to our earlier article Food bank beats its own record, several readers have asked how they can help. Almost every village or town in the area has some form of free food distribution system, though not necessarily a food bank as such. Much of the distribution is carried out by Cáritas, the Roman Catholic Church international charity, at parish level, though they collect from the big supermarket chains as well as from local contributors - look out for collection boxes near the exits of your local shops. In the Campo, the central food bank premises in Algeciras distributes not only food but other essential items such as nappies and shampoo, for instance, to the Cáritas volunteers in each village. Local distribution is usually carried out at or near parish churches. All you have to do to find out where and when, is ask at your local church (then PLEASE  let us know, so we can publish a list of all of them). Below, we have used  Jimena as an example (because it's closer and we can help more readily):>>>

Distribution, that is 'come and get it', happens at the Convento/Santuario in Estación (click here for location) on

TUESDAY, THURSDAY and FRIDAY from 6 to 8pm 

SUNDAY from 10am to 12 noon.

These are the times when you can also DROP IN with your contribution.

Some of the most-needed items include:

• Potatoes
• Fresh fruit (if there's too much of it on your trees)
• Eggs
• Oil (olive or sunflower)
• Margarine
• Fruit Juices
• Canned Tuna
• Cola-Cao (not necessarily that brand of choclate powder)
• Teas (called infusiones: menta-poleo, tila, manzanilla, etc,)
• Lentils
• Garbanzos (chick-peas)
• Beans of all sorts
• Rice
• Pasta
• Baby food
• Shampoo/Bath Gel/Etc.
• Washing-up liquids/Washing powders/Etc.
• Sanitary towels/Tampons/Etc.

This is by no means a complete list, but just some of the more usual essentials. Just about anything is welcome, but THEY NO LONGER DEAL WITH USED CLOTHING and nor does anyone else in Jimena, except for the people that leave those little notes on your door, which is a business run by Moroccans, who sell your old clothes over on the other side of the Straits.

We will be trying to get some more info on other places in the Campo area, and would really appreciate any help you can give us - particularly by sharing this article with your Facebook Friends and/or fellow Twitters, etc.