Municipalities today

On October 23, 2025, in Blagoevgrad, the Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) officially launched a campaign to distribute food and hygiene products to vulnerable citizens. The event took place at the 9th Primary School “Peyo Yavorov.”

The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Mayor of Blagoevgrad, Boryana Shalyavska, the Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Borislav Gutsanov, and the Chairperson of the BRC, Acad. Hristo Grigorov. They expressed gratitude to the BRC volunteers and staff for their dedication and commitment to socially vulnerable groups.

The distribution of products is part of the Food and Basic Material Assistance Program 2021–2027, co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus through the Support operation. The program aims to assist over 640,000 socially disadvantaged Bulgarians. In the first phase, basic food products such as pasta and sugar are being distributed, while the second phase will include 15 different types of food items.

Deputy Mayor Boryana Shalyavska expressed the support of the Municipality of Blagoevgrad for the initiative and emphasized the importance of cooperation between local authorities and the BRC to provide aid to those in need.

Minister Gutsanov stressed that he will be “absolutely uncompromising” in cases of misuse, after it was found that some of the distributed food sometimes ended up in commercial channels. He assured that all necessary measures will be taken to ensure transparency and efficiency in the distribution process.

The distribution of food and hygiene packages will continue until December 5, 2025, in Blagoevgrad. Products can be collected upon presentation of an identity document and signature. The distribution point is located at the 9th Primary School “Peyo Yavorov” in the “Alyan Mak” residential area.

This initiative is part of the efforts of the BRC and the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy to provide support to the most vulnerable citizens and help them overcome difficulties during the winter season.