Hundreds of thousands of euros to feed migrants: food shortages for up to 100 people were solved, volunteers had to be withdrawn

The people of Rūdninkai were the first to speak about the food problems in Rūdninkai. They hinted that there are days when more than 100 people run out of food.

This was confirmed by Delphi, a migrant from Iraq who had been living in the countryside for more than a month.

“Yes, there is not enough food for everyone and some are hungry. Unfortunately, this happens every day, he said. “It is very difficult for those who do not have money to buy additional food in the incoming stores.”

He added that even those who receive portions are not satisfied, that they are too small and not enough to eat.

In addition, the interlocutor said that there were also problems with the dry rations: he shared photos that he sometimes received moldy bread or expired products.

There is enough food

However, Renaldas Žekonis, who manages the Rūdninkai camp, categorically denied the talk about the lack of food, saying that such situations occurred only at the beginning, when the supply of hot food began.

“It just came to our knowledge then. And now there is no shortage of food, it is coming and there is for everyone, he said. – It is not that someone has not received food, perhaps they will receive it later. hour or with another meal. But anyway, it is transported with a small reservation, it is definitely enough. “

He mentioned that feeding 700 people is a big challenge and the providers are managing it successfully and taking all wishes into account.

“Migrants don’t complain about food. And for vegetarians, the vegetarian food portions are prepared separately. We are adjusting how many of these the company will need: the interviewee spoke about the eating habits of the newcomers. – You see, our Lithuanian cuisine is different. For example, they ask why beets, not carrots, as vegetables. But we communicate with the company and they change the range, things are resolved here and very quickly ”.

“It just came to our attention then. There are observations and requests to change something, but there are no things I will not eat,” added R. Žekonis.

However, he confirmed that there are problems with food delivery: vendors cannot accommodate volunteers and deliver portions on time. As a result, the Red Cross, at least for the moment, no longer helps distribute food to migrants in Rūdninkai.

Volunteer shooting

Žydronė Lukšytė, head of communication for the Red Cross, confirmed that she had registered cases of food shortages, but did not elaborate on the scale.

However, he said that the volunteers who distributed the food delivered to the migrants faced another major problem, which ultimately led to the decision not to send them to help Rūdninkai.

“Providers who provide meals to the camp are often slow to deliver hot food (often 3-4 hours late), making volunteer planning extremely difficult. Volunteers come from Vilnius to perform these tasks and work certain shifts, according to a schedule agreed with them in advance, some of them are working or studying people who donate their time to volunteering, so it is very important that your time is valued and used correctly. Especially when their helping hands are now needed in many migrant camps and other important areas ”, Ž. Shell.

He mentioned that he had expressed these problems to the field administration, but the situation has not changed yet.

“As far as we know, the camp has also been in contact with both suppliers and the authorities responsible for supplier contracts. As the problem with the food supplier, as far as we know, has not yet been resolved, according to the camp administration, we decided to redirect the volunteer forces to other areas and inform the Rūdininkai camp that we are ready to continue helping in areas where we can provide effective assistance, ”said the Red Cross representative.

For catering: hundreds of thousands of euros.

The State Border Guard Service purchased catering services for migrants on August 23.

Contracts were signed with two companies, the value of both contracts was 130 thousand. euros. The food is delivered to Rūdninkai by the “Healthy Nutrition Partner”.

Under the contract, the company promised to feed one migrant per day for € 4.99.

It is true that, in the original contract, the company promised to serve only migrants at the Foreigners Registration Center, of which 240 live there.

At that time, the Rūdninkai camp had to feed many more people, with a population of over 700.

The manager of the company, Audrone Tendzegolskiene Delfi, could not be reached, did not answer the phone.

By the way, he used to lead the infamous Pontem. This company had previously been included in the list of suppliers who provided false information.

Furthermore, Pontem himself was involved in a scandal a couple of years ago over the supply of poor quality food to hospitals.

Following the scandal, the Santara clinics were separated from the company and Pontem herself continued to change her name to Handelshus.

Interestingly, Handelshus is the second company to win a tender to serve migrants housed at the Border Guard School. The value of this purchase is also 130 thousand. euros.