History

“Hunger in this nation that has more cattle than people is now rampant, especially among the most vulnerable: the very young and the very old.” New York Times, March 2, 2003

Under the auspices of the Ivy Inter-American Foundation, Operation Canasta began in 2002 as a campaign to feed hungry children in Argentina. With the country ravished by an economic crisis so severe that 70% of its children were living in poverty, the need for food aid for the poorest children was more urgent than ever. The news stories of the day painted a desperate picture.

In its first year, Operation Canasta helped feed more than 3,000 children in 23 soup kitchens across Argentina.

In spite of the fact that poverty has decreased in recent years in Argentina, a considerable segment of the population still lives in conditions of extreme poverty and many children are still suffering of severe problems of undernourishment. Operation Canasta has still a long way to go in helping these children through the assistance to these “comedores” which, fortunately, at the present time are primarily staffed by parents on their way to self sufficiency.