Caritas Diocesana of Orihuela-Alicante, Awarded the 2025 Gastro Cinema Solidarity Prize

The 2025 Gastro Cinema Solidarity Prize has been awarded this year to Caritas Diocesana of Orihuela-Alicante, "in recognition of its trajectory and commitment to social justice and the dignity of the most vulnerable people, according to the organisation." This award will be presented at the festival's closing gala on October 23 at the Teatro Principal in Alicante.

In previous editions, it has been granted to institutions such as the Red Cross Alicante, Alicante Gastronomic Solidarity, or Chocolates Marcos Tonda, for their work with the ONCE Foundation.

The award was announced this Tuesday at a press conference held at the Provincial Council of Alicante, with the participation of the director of Gastro Cinema, Vicente Seva; the Deputy of Culture, Juan de Dios Navarro; and the director of Caritas Diocesana of Orihuela-Alicante, Víctor Mellado.

"With this award, we want to highlight the silent, constant, and very important work that Caritas does. At a time when social exclusion continues to affect thousands of people, recognising the work of those who strive for a fairer society is an obligation and a pride for our festival," commented Vicente Seva, director of Gastro Cinema.

For his part, Víctor Mellado expressed his gratitude for this award: "It is an honour for us to receive this recognition, which also coincides with the 60th anniversary of Caritas. We are proud that from a cultural event like Gastro Cinema, the effort and dedication of all the volunteers are recognised. These types of awards help to give visibility to the work they all do."

The Deputy of Culture, Juan de Dios Navarro, expressed that "this tribute is a recognition of the solidarity and help to others that you provide, especially in the province of Alicante and throughout Spain. This recognition by Gastro Cinema is just a small sample of the very important work you do from Caritas Diocesana of Orihuela-Alicante."

Caritas Diocesana of Orihuela-Alicante operates from a comprehensive vision of the person, promoting human dignity, inclusion, and active participation. Its action is concretised in programmes of reception, employment, training, access to housing, coverage of basic needs, and support for groups in situations of exclusion, such as migrants, women in vulnerable situations, families without resources, or homeless people.

With a network that covers all the towns and neighbourhoods of the diocese, Caritas works in more than 200 parish Caritas and relies on the drive of thousands of volunteers and professionals who make possible a model of solidarity based on accompaniment, active listening, and social justice.