Miguel Barosa Gonçalves

Seven months on: where we are, and where we're heading It's been about seven months since the storm tore through the center of Portugal. We don't want to overwhelm you — just a straight, honest update on what your support has built, and what comes next. Since then, through Armazém Solidário, we've reached 4,839 people across 601 households — grandparents, working families, and children. Around 16% are under 18, and 28% are over 65. None of this exists without the 468 volunteers who have kept the warehouse running, week after week. Every euro has gone further than we hoped. We've received, distributed, and currently hold more than €190,000 in goods — over €150,000 already delivered to families, and €40,000 more staged and ready to go out. Running the warehouse that collects, sorts and distributes all of this has cost us only about €15,000 — which means for every €1 we spend on operations, close to €10 of aid reaches the families who need it. That aid has taken the shape of exactly what people needed to rebuild: 1,102 food baskets 545 clothing and home-textile kits 691 units of construction material 132 mattresses and 81 beds 39 fridges, 61 microwaves, and other essential appliances 58 sofas Where your money went. You should see exactly how your contribution was used. Of the roughly €77,000 in cash we've deployed, only about €15,000 went to running the warehouse itself — the rest went straight into aid: ~€27,000 — essential appliances, furniture, cribs, construction materials and roofing panels bought for families ~€15,500 — direct support to fellow responders and partner charities (local fire brigades, Just a Change, Sporting Clube Marinhense) ~€13,100 — home repairs (labor) ~€5,750 — direct cash aid to individual families under extreme pressure ~€15,000 — warehouse operations, logistics and connectivity A full, itemized breakdown of how and where every euro is spent is available on our website: www.armazemsolidario.pt. We've also worked hand in hand with local institutions — supporting 6 social solidarity organizations (IPSS) directly, and enabling the Municipality of Marinha Grande to distribute 500 food baskets a week from our space, reaching an estimated 3,500 people. Today, our warehouse is open six days a week. But the hardest part isn't behind us. Winter is coming, and many families still don't have their roofs repaired. Despite the shortage of labor, we're preparing solutions for people who may have to leave their homes in the coming months — because no one here should face this winter without shelter. And we're opening a new front. We're preparing to host a chapter of Re-food at the warehouse, so we can finally provide something we haven't been able to offer until now: food support. Once running, we'll serve around 700 meals a week to people in need, full roll-out is planned for November 2026. The need is still here. So is our commitment!