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ePaper created 2014-06-22, 15:43:25 | version 1.31.00
21The English Newspaper for Gran Canaria TheCanaryNews.com News, Views & Sunshine Summer 2014 “When you experience a miscarriage of justice it can be difficult to let it go” says the exasperated dentist “I could use my time and money (and probably some of the government’s money too) to try and prove that I did nothing wrong” but of course it can be difficult, in circumstances like these, to believe that justice or the greater good would in any way be actually served by trying to force ‘the system’, or those charged with upholding it, to change their view on who is right. Who’s interest would it serve? Eddie tells us he simply does not believe that the system can help him in that way, even if he feels sure he has been severely wronged… “My thoughts about this matter are simply: why do people not spend their time in more constructive ways, and try to do good things, instead of wasting government time and money to trick the system for their own benefit?” So, our bemused and ever-thoughtful Dr Basson came up with an alternative. “Instead of spending more time on this surreal inci- dent, I have decided to give my energy using something that I am actually good at, and at the same time, hopefully, make my point – by making, helping and improving teeth!” Doctor Basson took the unprecedented decision to reserve one whole day in his dental practice just to benefit a local charity. Patients booked in to the Margarita Dental Clinic in El Tablero on a day at the end of May 2014 received treatment for free, but on one simple condition: “To help turn my negative into an abso- lute positive, I asked all those patients in turn to give something, anything, useful to Asociación Benífica ELOMAR” (A non-profit charitable organisation in Maspalomas that helps families locally). Whatever they brought that day (money, groceries, cloths etc.) was accepted with gratitude and donated to Asociación Benífica ELOMAR “To the mans wife,” says Eddie “who hoped this would be a lesson for me, I can only confirm that I have learned this: Yes, there are people out there that apparently spend their time reporting others to the authorities (who are then obliged to fol- low it up), solely for their own egoistic reasons, and that they most likely utilise their knowledge of how the system works, so that they can trick it! I will always, always, focus on my children’s safety first; and I will remove anyone from their path who places them in danger, no matter how the system looks at it. And I would be happy to sign these statements any day!” Eddie Basson, it seems, was mostly disappointed in the unwilling- ness of others to take any kind of responsibility for their actions, and in a system that failed to support him and his simple intention to keep his family, and others, from harm. His response has meant not only having to pay the cost of the case, and the significant amount that it cost him to open his clinic for a day without income and work for free, but it has more importantly heightened awareness in the community about a very important cause and meant that clothes, food and money were donated to that cause by people who perhaps would never have known about Elomar and their amazing work. It has, perhaps, also given all of us a little perspective, with reason to think about those times when our pride has been most injured by the actions of others; it is often possible for us to take all that negative energy inside of us and instead of using it in a meaningless battle, or allowing it to continue forward, we can, if we so choose, take that very same energy and put it to some real use, for the right reasons, to help someone who most needs it and who may not even know we exist, or how lucky we really are in comparison to them. We wholeheartedly support this initiative which saw donations of food stuffs, clothing and the other types of basic essential distrib- uted to needy families through the ELOMAR association in San Fer- nando. Well done everyone involved. Thank you Eddie B, for being a true inspiration for all. We can all do more...It’s in all our interests. The Elomar charitable associa- tion, located in San Fernando de Maspalomas, promotes the cooperation of local residents, businesses and organisations to contribute to food aid and provide donations to fill some of the gaps experienced by many families in this part of the island, and especially, children and the unemployed of San Bartolomé de Tirajana. The nonprofit organisation was founded four years ago by Eloisa Hernandez and Marcelo Santana, who decided altruisti- cally to do what they could to provide help for those most in need. “We are distributing food from the local Municipal Market San Bartolomé de Tirajana every Tuesday and Thursday.” Marcelo told us “between 10.30am and 2pm, we distribute basic food and other items to 313 local families who are most in need, representing a total of 1022 people. “ Marcelo told MaspalomasAhora. com back in 2012, when they had only identified 115 families who needed their help due to the crisis and rising unemploy- ment, that more and more fami- lies are in need of basic foods, “so we encourage cooperation from neighbours, and especially businesses and other organisa- tions that can help us with dona- tions of nonperishable food.” Elomar relies heavily on dona- tions from the Food Bank of Las Palmas, who were already being stretched by the increas- ing requests for help, which back then amounted to a total 43,000 people through 203 dif- ferent charities. The numbers of people helped by EloMar have more than doubled in the last two years. Those who wish to can make donations of nonperishable products and items of high con- sumption, such as milk, sugar, rice, beans, chickpeas, lentils, pasta, flour, roasted maize meal cocoa and juices-for-children, oil and tins of sardines, among other items directly to Elomar, who also collect clothing dur- ing market hours, though you can reach them by phone if you speak Spanish, call 649 876 361 Eloisa or else find them on Fa- cebook by searching for Elomar Asociación Benéfica or simply clicking the link to go to http://is.gd/ELOMAR The first recognised Food bank started in Arizona in 1967. The idea has slowly spread. The first one in Europe was started in France in 1984 now there are more than 250 official food banks throughout Europe, more than 50 of them are in Spain. The Las Palmas food bank is thought to be the third largest in Spain after Madrid and Barcelona. Food banks are a vital link for those who slip below the poverty line, collecting donated goods, food and other items from corporate spon- sors and individual supporters, and then redistributing those items through a local network of charitable organisations and volunteers. Spain has the highest unemployment rate in Europe, and support to those not in work is extremely limited. Without organisations like Elomar, in Maspalomas, or the Neighbourhood Food Project of Mogán many, many more people would go almost completely without. See our special report in the next Edition at the end of August