During 2014 the Holy Father sent a donation supporting the project “Banco de Alimentos Diakonia” of Guayaquil, in Ecuador. The Banco, which branches from the Diocese of Guayaquil and was created thanks to the support of private companies, helps the poor and decreases the number of vulnerable people in the Diocese, supervising the collection and distribution of foodstuffs and nutritional products.
The Banco, in its work, is aided by local Church institutions, lay volunteers, and both the business and public sectors.
Financial aid of about $100,000 was made possible through the "Populorum Progressio Foundation for Latin America", which is part of the mission of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and which counts the Italian Episcopal Conference among its main partners.
The Banco de Alimentos project was presented at the Holy See’s pavilion at the 2015 EXPO in Milan in a short film entitled "Un boccone di pane" (A piece of bread).