The Association Manos de Ayuda Social was founded in 2011 as an initiative started by a group of volunteers in Madrid, Spain. They came together in the midst of the economic crisis that struck Spain at the time with the idea of starting a family meal center in the capital's Ciudad Lineal district. .
They were determined and excited to make a difference in the community and soon thereafter Comedor Social Ventas opened its doors. Up until closing in 2018, the family meal center in Ciudad Lineal served ca. 157,000 meals and provided support to more than 1,409 people.
After seven busy years of work, Manos de Ayuda Social relocated to the Puente de Vallecas district in the South of Madrid. The new premises offered support to many families from the Palomeras Bajas neighborhood at risk of social exclusion.
Our goal is to provide proper nutrition and foster a warm environment so that the Family Meal Center users feel safe and secure. We also encourage them to actively search for employment so that they are able to get back on their feet as soon as possible.
Manos de Ayuda Social has been declared a Public Utility organization by the Spanish Ministry for Home Affairs, acknowledging our work for those in need.
In 2020 we reached...
355
daily users receiving hot meals
5280
hygiene and cleaning products distributed
26680
kg of food distributed
11621
meals made in the Family Meal Center
Download the Family Meal Center annual report
Our Family Meal Center provides a daily meal made up of a first dish, a second dish, fresh daily bread and dessert. Our goal is to be able to provide this service to as many people as possible. We are aware that this is not a long-term solution to unemployment or social exclusion, but it provides temporary support and additional care to the families that we are able to reach.
Each one of our users receives an individual assessment, diagnosis and intervention plan. Our main focus then becomes the search for resources and employment for the user.
We achieve this through different methods: interviews, training sessions and workshops oriented towards personal development and financial independence. Some of the topics covered by our workshops are Job Searching, Developing Socio-personal Skills, etc.
You can collaborate in many areas. Please support our work and help us make it possible!
To be able to manipulate food products our staff is required to obtain a Food Handlers Certificate. This can easily be done through a short online test. You can benefit from a 50% discount off the price of the test through National formative center 'Pymes Plataforma Comercial'.
Discount code:: AS825001ES
The crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to reorganize our efforts. We have been supporting families during lockdown by delivering the food to their homes. We know the work we carry out is important, even more so now during the hard times we are facing as a country.
After a long journey we have finally opened the Family Meal Center.
A huge thank you to everyone that has made this dream possible! We hope that this Family Meal Center will help many people that are at risk of social exclusion.
The works on our Family Meal Center are now finished. Our thanks go to Via Célere who has made this possible. We now hope to be able to open as soon as possible so that we can continue helping those in need.
Manos de Ayuda Social obtains 2nd prize at the TELVA SOLIDARIDAD 2020 Awards. Inditex, Fundación Mahou-San Miguel and El Corte Inglés are the companies that have sponsored our award.
We want to thank both the TELVA Team and our sponsors for this recognition and share it with each company, entity and individual volunteer who is working with us every day making it possible for us to continue helping, even more so in these tough times that we all face COVID-19.
The Madrid Town Hall, “La Caixa” Foundation and CaixaBank held a ceremony in honor of soup kitchens in the capital, among them, the Family Meal Center MAS.
The mayor of Madrid José Luis Martínez Almeida, regional director Rafael Herrador of CaixaBank Center, and corporative director Rafael Chueca of Regional and Foundational centers la Caixa wanted to recognize the endeavors of the cities’ soup kitchens during the social/health crisis caused by Covid-19.
On behalf of Manos de Ayuda Social we would like to thank La Caixa Foundation and CaixaBank for their help. We would also like thank ALL the volunteers, businesses, entities, and collaborators that are behind this project working hand in hand with us. This recognition and thanks is for all of you as well. Thank you!
#Charity concert sponsored by the Regional Government of Madrid in collaboration with Living Water Gospel Choir. A big thank you to the volunteers at Manos de Ayuda Social, Obra Social La Caixa and @Muufotos.
Many companies, official entities and individuals have partnered with us along the way. We are sincerely grateful for your help. None of this would be possible without you.
We would like to especially thank Fundación Isolana, Fundación Vía Célere y a la Fundación Pelayo. for their constant support. To you and to those who help and support us and have done so from the start… THANK YOU!
On May 5, 2018, the Regional Government of Madrid sponsored a charity concert together with Living Water Gospel Choir. The proceeds went to Manos de Ayuda Social's projects.
The concert has sparked a lot of interest among the public and we would like to express our gratitude to the Regional Government of Madrid for their sponsorship.
If you need help or would like to collaborate with this project, don’t hesitate to contact us! We will be happy to help you.
