How 'community pots' are feeding thousands in Peru everyday

A child carries an armful of donated carrots to her mother who is helping prepare lunch at a soup kitchen in the Villa Maria shantytown of Lima, Peru. Amid a second complete lockdown in less than a year as Peru battles a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, the lack of a steady income has forced many families to become dependent of community soup kitchens in some of the capital's poorest neighborhoods. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
A child carries an armful of donated carrots to her mother who is helping prepare lunch at a soup kitchen in the Villa Maria shantytown of Lima, Peru. Amid a second complete lockdown in less than a year as Peru battles a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, the lack of a steady income has forced many families to become dependent of community soup kitchens in some of the capital's poorest neighborhoods. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
A banner announces the Los Alamos soup kitchen asking for donations in the Villa Maria neighborhood in Lima, Peru. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
A banner announces the Los Alamos soup kitchen asking for donations in the Villa Maria neighborhood in Lima, Peru. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
A volunteer prepares Menestrón, a Peruvian adaptation of the Italian classic Minestrone, at the Los Alamos soup kitchen in the Villa Maria shantytown of Lima, Peru. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
A volunteer prepares Menestrón, a Peruvian adaptation of the Italian classic Minestrone, at the Los Alamos soup kitchen in the Villa Maria shantytown of Lima, Peru. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Residents prep donated vegetables at a soup kitchen in the Villa Maria shantytown of Lima, Peru, (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
Residents prep donated vegetables at a soup kitchen in the Villa Maria shantytown of Lima, Peru, (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
The common pots, also seen in other Latin American countries, have emerged as a symbol of the struggles of the region. Thousands of them are in use throughout Peru at levels not seen since the 1980s and 1990s during the armed conflict between the state and the Shining Path terrorist group. The survival strategy that first appeared in Peru's capital during the country's civil conflict four decades ago has been vital since the coronavirus pandemic arrived in this South American nation. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
The common pots, also seen in other Latin American countries, have emerged as a symbol of the struggles of the region. Thousands of them are in use throughout Peru at levels not seen since the 1980s and 1990s during the armed conflict between the state and the Shining Path terrorist group. The survival strategy that first appeared in Peru's capital during the country's civil conflict four decades ago has been vital since the coronavirus pandemic arrived in this South American nation. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)