Instituto SOPA brings donations and shelter to people in vulnerable situations During the winter, Instituto SOPA Dona Odette intensifies the distribution of food and clothing to people in vulnerable situations in Mogi das Cruzes. The action is carried out throughout the year, but is reinforced on cold days. The non-profit entity has been operating for more than 40 years, brings together around 100 volunteers and serves approximately 2,500 people in the city in socially vulnerable situations, in addition to 650 registered families who receive basic food baskets, layettes and other donations. ? Click to follow the g1 Mogi das Cruzes e Suzano channel on WhatsApp Just for the soup, which is distributed three times a week in various regions of the city, last year there were more than 96 thousand liters that helped feed thousands of people. Volunteer work is one of the foundations of the institution, both in the preparation and distribution of the soup. "The easiest part of the volunteer's work is delivering the soup. Because the hardest part is beforehand because we need the food, we need volunteers to prepare the soup", says volunteer Daniel Bueno Lima. TV Diário reporter, Paula Moreira, and film reporter, Ricardo Ribeiro, accompanied the volunteers during a night of distribution, with rain and temperatures of 12°C. "The cold always increases demand, the rain sometimes gets in the way a bit because there are people who come from further afield and end up not coming... but there are a lot of people who wait for us to arrive because it depends on that. So, for us, the rain is a bit of a hindrance, but there's no way to avoid hunger, with or without rain", explained volunteer Marco Aurélio Amorim. That night, the menu had pasta with vegetables and meat, as well as bread and a sweet treat. The SOPA Institute serves around 2,500 people in socially vulnerable situations and has 650 families registered to receive basic food baskets, layettes and other donations. The soup is distributed three times a week in different regions of Mogi das Cruzes. Last year, the entity distributed more than 96 thousand liters of food. "We already work at Christmas and New Year. There are no holidays and as we have a lot of volunteers. Whenever one is unable to do so, the other comes and covers. So, Instituto Sopa never stops serving. In the same way that they come here to get food, we can never stop being here to deliver", recalls Marco Aurélio. On the day that the TV Diário team followed the action, the distribution was carried out at Praça Diego Leme Chavedar, in the center of Mogi das Cruzes. Among those served was Janete dos Santos, who braved the rain and cold to get the soup. "Every Thursday I come to get their soup, it's delicious. It's delicious, it heats up and we spend the night with our bellies full." For volunteers, the greatest reward for their work is the gratitude of those who receive the help. "The feeling is always one of gratitude. Because with each soup we deliver they tell us 'God bless'. And it's pure gratitude. It's a little bit of our time that we donate to be able to receive all this energy that the SOPA Institute can emanate to everyone", said one of the organization's volunteers. Not even the rain stopped the delivery of soup on the streets of Mogi das Cruzes Reproduction/TV Diário Watch more news