The Social Mission Diaconia, the charity arm of the Metropolitanate of Bessarabia, has launched ahead of the Holy Eastertide a humanitarian campaign themed “Our Daily Bread” to support lonely and bed-confined elderly people, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to organizers, the campaign aims to sensitize people to the problems of the elderly. The keynote of the campaign, however, is to convince the elderly that they haven’t been forgotten and abandoned in their moments of need. The campaign also aims to encourage dialogue and solidarity between generations. The project includes a fundraising drive to support older people in rural areas. In this connection, Diaconia plans to increase the number of aged persons who will get hot meals each day. The elderly who have nobody to take care of them or who have been confined to bed by some disease will be selected from all the regions of the country, and their number will depend on the amount of money Diaconia manages to raise. The meals will be delivered to the recipients by volunteers, and that’s not all the assistance the elderly will get. The volunteers will also go grocery shopping, will buy medicine and pay utility bills for the elderly. At present, the Mission has more than 100 volunteers, providing some 80 older people with daily hot meals at five social cafeterias. All those willing to help the elderly are encouraged to transfer money to the bank account of the Mission: M.S. Diaconia, c/f 40246014, c/d 25110000186757, BC Victoriabank SA subsidiary No.3, VICBMD2X416. Today, the elderly represent more than 20 percent (about 620,000) of Moldova’s population. According to the National Statistics Bureau, the monthly average retirement pension for agricultural workers is 420 lei, and for the rest – 459 lei.