(ANS – Araçatuba) – A solidarity initiative involving students, staff and the entire Salesian community in Araçatuba has raised around six tonnes of food for the Bororo and Xavante indigenous peoples, who are supported by the Salesian presence in the villages of Meruri and São Marcos, in Mato Grosso. The food will also be distributed to care homes and nurseries in Araçatuba and the surrounding region. The donations were delivered to the indigenous communities by Renato Brambila and Leosino Eduardo de Sousa, members of the UniSALESIANO staff. The journey began at 3.00 am on 10 June, bound for the village of Meruri, home to the Bororo people. The group returned to Araçatuba on 12 June, having completed the food delivery. The initiative forms part of an annual Salesian partnership, in which students from the Salesian College actively participate by collecting food for the indigenous communities. The donations are then forwarded and distributed equally between the Bororo and Xavante communities, for the benefit of the villages of Meruri and São Marcos. The food is distributed by Salesian missionaries working within the communities, ensuring that the collected items reach the families most in need. The collection also forms part of the preparation for the “VAMS” (Salesian Academic Missionary Volunteering) project, which will see university students spend ten days living in indigenous communities, carrying out educational, cultural, pastoral, sporting and recreational activities. The project also encourages the conduct of research and academic studies based on field experience, ensuring the continuity of these initiatives in subsequent years.