Thousands of middle and lower income Greek families have been hit the hardest in the country since the economic crisis has struck. A series of images showing hundreds of Greek families queuing outside a football stadium in the city of Patra, in the Peloponnese, to receive free food handouts is testament to this harsh reality. Many desperate people waited in line from the early morning hours of Friday. The initiative was organised by the municipality of Patra in the framework of a program under the auspice of the Labour Ministry. Nearly 6,000 families in need from the region are estimated to receive free food over the next 3 days. The Mayor of Patra expressed his satisfaction over the smooth distribution of the packages, with 2,000 beneficiaries expected to be served each day till Monday. The Mayor added that the amount of food offered by the Ministry was meagre.