The interurban transport company of Gran Canaria, Global, has launched the seventh edition of its solidarity campaign 'La Guagua de las Promesas'. This initiative transforms prayers directed to the Virgen del Pino, the island's patron saint, into kilograms of food for the most vulnerable families in Gran Canaria. The presentation event took place last Thursday, August 20, at Parque de Santa Catalina.
The main objective of this edition is to surpass last year's record, when over 4,000 promises were collected and more than 25,000 kilos of food were gathered. Since its inception in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, the campaign has evolved, maintaining its social commitment in the face of persistent vulnerability among many people, exacerbated by inflation.
“"We launched this solidarity initiative because our social commitment to the island and the purpose of helping those most in need have always been very present in everything we do. The pandemic situation led to its launch, but once the health crisis was overcome, the growing vulnerable situation of many people meant our commitment did not disappear, and today we reach this seventh edition with the enthusiasm to meet these needs more strongly than ever."
Throughout its previous six editions, the campaign has delivered over 13,000 promises to the Virgin and raised more than 83 tons of food, establishing itself as a pillar of Global's Social Responsibility program. Last year set an individual record with over 4,000 promises and 25,000 kilos. The challenge for this year is to revalidate these figures and aim to surpass 100 tons of solidarity accumulated across all editions.
The participation process is simple: interested individuals can access www.laguaguadelaspromesas.com, register their promise, and submit it. Global commits to including each promise in the Book of Promises, which is presented to the Virgin, and to donating at least one kilo of food for each one, although historically the average has exceeded five kilos.
The mayor of Teror, José Agustín Arencibia García, expressed his wish for the festivities to proceed without incidents, similar to the previous year, and encouraged citizens to join this initiative. For his part, the parish priest of Teror, Jorge Martín de la Coba, highlighted the solidarity, religious, and cultural dimensions of the campaign, also inviting people to reconnect personally during public transport journeys.
The initiative originated in the summer of 2020, in response to pandemic restrictions that prevented the traditional pilgrimage to Teror. Global then collected the promises and converted them into food delivered to the Red Cross, the Food Bank of Las Palmas, and Cáritas. The campaign has been maintained annually, adapting to persistent social needs and inflationary pressures.
Until September 8, promises, prayers, and thanks can be registered at www.laguaguadelaspromesas.com. All requests will be included in the Book of Promises, which will be presented to the Virgin and will become part of the Sacred Art Museum of the Basilica del Pino and the Municipal Archive.
