Barça Foundation and Beko collaborate to give support to centres working to fight the effects of Covid-19

Faced with the current health emergency caused by the spread of the coronavirus, the Barça Foundation and its partner Beko are collaborating to support different healthcare centres in Catalonia that are currently working to mitigate the effects of Covid-19 -which have seen an increase in their activity- through the donation of appliances that may be useful for meeting the day-to-day needs of their staff.

The Barça Foundation and Beko have worked together to provide appliances for the Sistema d’Emergències Mèdiques (SEM) and Col·legi Oficial de Metges de Barcelona (CoMB) institutions, such as high capacity washing machines and fridges, along with driers, dishwashers and ovens, to contribute to the operation of the centres. This week two trucks, containing around 250 appliances, have been handed over to the SEM for their 24-hour facilities in Barcelona, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat and Reus, which host the Centre de Coordinació Sanitària (CECOS), as well as their bases throughout the region.

FC Barcelona support the fight against Covid-19

This action is the latest example of FC Barcelona's vocation for serving the community, and from the outset the club have made themselves available to the health authorities to comply with and enforce  guidelines to combat the spread of COVID-19 and its effects.

In addition, to help deal with the spread of the coronavirus, the club have made their facilities available to both health authorities and research projects. They have launched a telephone hotline and face-to-face monitoring program with Red Cross volunteers, and checked up on members over the age of 80 with the aim of helping, informing and assisting them with whatever is necessary. FC Barcelona, with the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, have provided food vouchers 'Beques Menjador' - a scheme to ensure that they have a meal a day - for children through the Generalitat’s Department of Education, facilitated access to food for families, and provided support for the homeless and the elderly through the Catalan Red Cross.

This commitment to society has been underlined with an emblematic action: For the first time in its history, the club have given the naming rights to the Camp Nou for the 2020/21 season to the Barça Foundation, to achieve income that will be invested in research projects and measures for the fight against Covid-19 in Catalonia and the rest of the world.

FC Barcelona have also, through the Barça Foundation, worked to channel all initiatives and projects both nationally and internationally to help fight the pandemic. Both the club and the Foundation have appealed to their partners and collaborators to work together to help alleviate the effects of the crisis, with donations of healthcare material and equipment. The response has seen several different actions, such as the donation of 30,000 masks to the Generalitat’s Department of Health, intended for nursing homes, with club partner Taiping Insurance Life, and the handling of a significant donation of medical equipment from Chinese technology giant Tencent, with a first shipment of 15,000 personal protective equipment kits.

A solid alliance

Beko and the Foundation have been partners since the 2017/18 season. The Turkish brand has also been a global partner of FC Barcelona since the 2014/15 season. The relationship expanded in 2018, when Beko also became the official sponsor of the first team’s training shirt. Barça, Beko and the Foundation had previously collaborated on the 'Eat Like a Pro' awareness campaign, which aims to educate children about the importance of eating a healthy diet, inviting them to mimic the healthy lifestyle of their sporting heroes.