Vienna Caritas: Donations Instead of Deposit Rings on Trash Cans

Over the weekend, the Vienna Caritas director Klaus Schwertner spoke to ORF about the possibility of donating deposit vouchers to people in poverty as part of a new initiative. These vouchers allow recipients to choose for themselves, "whether to pass the deposit voucher, for example, to a family affected by poverty or a minimum pensioner in the supermarket," Schwertner explained in an interview with "Wien heute" on Friday evening.

Vienna Caritas Seeks Volunteers for Distribution Centers

Schwertner also pointed out other ways to help those affected by poverty. Last year, 951 tons of food were distributed in the 15 Caritas distribution centers ("Leo") in Vienna: "It is mainly single parents, large families, or minimum pensioners who come to our distribution center and are urgently dependent on this food." The demand for food is increasing, while donations are not, Schwertner noted. He fears that the pressure on those affected by poverty will continue to rise: "Especially when you look at the measures being taken as part of the austerity packages. The parliamentary budget service recently found that households affected by poverty are particularly impacted." Therefore, Caritas is seeking more volunteers for the distribution centers.

(APA/Red)

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