Image: Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, Madrid
Madrid city officials visited Mercamadrid’s El Hervidero facility on Tuesday as the municipal food platform and the Association of Chefs and Pastry Makers of Madrid, ACYRE, continued preparing solidarity meals for people displaced by fires in the Sierra Oeste of Madrid and Ávila. The operation is producing 400 menus a day for evacuees, with fresh fruit and vegetables supplied by Mercamadrid and the dishes cooked by ACYRE under the technical direction of chef Juan Pozuelo.
According to the city’s account, the meals are being distributed to residents evacuated from Chapinería, Navas del Rey and Pelayos de la Presa, with delivery taking place at the judo pavilion in Villaviciosa de Odón. The initiative is part of a wider emergency response for people forced from their homes by the fires affecting the Community of Madrid and the province of Ávila.
Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida visited the site together with deputy mayor Inma Sanz and Engracia Hidalgo, the delegate for Economy, Innovation and Finance. The city said they were joined by Ángel Niño, councillor for Puente de Vallecas, and Mercasa president José Manuel Miñones during the visit to Mercamadrid’s innovation and knowledge centre.
The municipality said Mercamadrid had initially contributed nearly 200 kilos of fresh vegetables and 500 pieces of assorted fruit to support the operation. ACYRE then turned those ingredients into nutritionally balanced meals, with recipes designed for an emergency setting. Among the dishes being distributed are pasta salad with fish, chickpea salad with vegetables, rice salad with vegetables and ham, lentils with chicken curry and Russian salad.
The effort also relies on additional private-sector support. The city identified the meat company DAPSA, the packaging firm Packea, the produce suppliers Frutas E. Sánchez, Frutas Julián and Eurobanan, and the supermarket chain Alcampo as contributors of products and materials needed to prepare and transport the food.
During the visit, Martínez-Almeida thanked Mercamadrid, ACYRE and the participating companies for what the city described as their generosity. He said the collaboration had made it possible to distribute more than 1,300 meals so far to people who have had to leave their homes. The city also said that, if the emergency continues or more capacity is needed, Mercamadrid will issue a call to other companies operating in the food hub to expand the response.
