The soup kitchen is run by the Union of Informal Economy Workers (UTEP), an organization that represents employees without contracts or in unregulated sectors.
These employees represent almost half of Argentina's workforce. And poverty among this group is high: almost 66 percent are considered poor.
But groups like UTEP have repeatedly clashed with Milei's government over the past year as government funds have dwindled.
Once Milei took office, UTEP said the government stopped sending food to its soup kitchens, which had previously been a common practice.
Without help from the federal government, soup kitchens struggled to keep up with demand, according to UTEP organizers. Instead, they turned to support from local governments and individual donations.
“Finding donations is a real struggle, so we feel like we have to work magic to cook for more people with the same amount of ingredients. It’s worse than during the pandemic,” said Laura Gotte, 50, one of the soup kitchen coordinators.
She noted that public demand was outstripping supply as poverty increased. “Last year, we made 13 large pots [of food] three times a week. Now we cook 23 large pots, and it's still not enough.
In February, UTEP sued Milei's administration to force it to deliver approximately 6,000 tons of food stored in government warehouses. In October, a federal judge ruled in favor of UTEP, but the food has not yet been delivered as the case is under appeal.

Milei and his allies accuse the soup kitchens of corruption, without providing evidence.
Advocates said Milei has taken a combative approach to social outreach programs, even as rising poverty rates increase demand for their services.
“There is a demonization of social organizations and women in particular,” said Fernanda Miño, 49, a community leader from La Cava, a marginalized neighborhood in the greater Buenos Aires region.
Before Milei took office, Miño was in charge of a federally funded program aimed at improving infrastructure in underdeveloped areas. His work included building houses, paving roads, and installing water, electricity, and sewer services.
But funding for the program was cut after Milei accused Miño of corruption this year. Since then, a government investigation has found no irregularities in his work.
Nonetheless, in October, armed federal police entered Miño's home, apparently looking for a stolen vehicle. She said the raid was part of continued harassment by the government.
“They attack us because we are women and because we are poor,” Miño said, sitting in the living room of her house in La Cava. “I don’t appreciate it when they think that because we are local women, we can’t do anything other than stir a pot, that we can’t lead projects.”
#year #start #Javier #Milei39s #presidency #poverty #Argentina #reaches #peak #News #poverty #development
News ,