More than 1,500 people queued up yesterday morning at the Larnaca community market to receive food donations in what was its busiest day since it opened a year ago this month. Larnaca Mayor Andreas Louroudjiadis said he expected the situation to worsen given the current banking crisis and its implications for the future as even more people are expected to lose their jobs and fall into poverty. Dry food, fruit and vegetables and other necessities were given out to families who are trying to cope with the financial crisis and with unemployment which has hit them hard. The market stayed open from the morning until 6pm with volunteers working alongside the Larnaca municipal workers to help hand out the food packages. As well as people queuing up to get food, there were plenty of pick-up trucks dropping off food at the market for those in need. Fruit, pulses, artichokes, celery, potatoes, oranges and mandarins were all dropped off at the premises, forming a small mountain outside the building which houses the market. One couple brought 300 kilos of seabass after pleas by market workers for donations as volunteers packed three fish per plastic bag for each family. Pupils from Year 7 at the American Academy in Larnaca were also there helping out as they usually do on Friday’s during their PE lesson. They placed vegetables and fruit in bags and also helped those unable to carry their food to their cars. Louroudjiadis said yesterday was the market’s busiest day since it opened in March 2012. “Although we can clearly see the hundreds of people queuing up to collect food, we must not forget the 30 or so people who are behind the scenes and are the real heroes who are contributing to efforts which the municipality makes every Friday,” he said. Louroudjiadis expressed the municipality’s gratitude for the help given to the community market by volunteers, who have contributed to its continued operation over the past 12 months. “I would also like to express my gratitude to all of those anonymous members of the public who have donated food to all those in need,” he said. He added that last Friday, the Cypriot community in Bahrain held a fundraiser and gave the proceeds to the municipality to buy food for the market. “This show of social solidarity towards each other is what characterises the love which the Community Market in Larnaca operates with,” Louroudjiadis said. He went on to say that due to the worsening financial situation on the island it is believed the number of applications for help will increase as every person’s circumstances are different. “We feel the need to be sensitive towards social solidarity and that’s why we created the community market in which all municipality employees contribute to support our efforts,” he said. Louroudjiades said that everyone must combine their efforts, both municipalities and communities. He revealed that the municipality is examining the possibility of operating a community clinic within the building that houses the community market in Larnaca. “This will be finalised in the coming weeks with the participation of volunteer doctors who will examine patients free of charge and will provide, where necessary, medical prescriptions,” he added. The Dromolaxia–Meneou city council has also decided to run a community market, to begin in the coming weeks. The decision was taken due to the increased appeals for help from the needy. “The community market will be running before Easter, which means within the next weeks and it will be built within a specially designed area behind the Dromolaxia town hall,” the Dromolaxia–Meneou community leader Kypros Andronikou said. “We expect that the community market will help more than 70 families who are currently facing serious economic problems,” Andronikou added. Andronikou also asked citizens, industries and businesses to support this effort and “offer what each one can because even the smallest contribution is important to some families who are finding it difficult to provide their children with food.” Since last year many municipalities have started to run community markets where they provide food and other necessary items to thousands of households in Cyprus. This effort aims to lighten the economic burden that many families are currently facing

Cyprus Mail