Our local Volunteer Heroes

Who is this man?

Elias Anaya is the co-founder of an organisation called “Consuegra´s History
and Heritage Society”. He was also the first Justice of the Peace of Consuegra
since the beginning of the democracy in our country. He has been on this
charge since 1978 to 2016. He is the spanish judge that more years has been in
on duty. During the first eleven years in front of the Court, he worked without
getting any money.

Elias Anaya on the news

Elías Anaya Verbo
Our Local Volunteer Hero
During those years, he was also very concerned about the maintenance of the
heritage and history of our city. That is why in 2000 he and other researchers
and local amateurs founded “Consuegra´s History and Heritage Society”.

He also transferred without any retribution the ancient “Registry of Family

Status” book-files to a digital software. This laborious task last several years.
 Consuegra´s History and Heritage Society
“Consuegra´s History and Heritage Society” main concerns are the investigation
and maintenance of the History and Heritage of Consuegra. Nowadays, the
Society organises heritage and cultural campaigns, like the Heritage Week of
Consuegra, gatherings about history and they keep a collection of books written
by authors that were born in Consuegra.

Poster and
programmes of
the Heritage
Week
The society has a profile on all the social networks and it is managing several
blogs about history, archaeology and traditions of Consuegra. They also
collaborated two years ago with the documentary film about the great flood of
Consuegra, “Entre cielo y agua”, that happened on 1891 and of which Elias
Anaya was one of the main speakers.
Elias Anaya Reflexions...
● What is your biggest reward?
My biggest reward is the daily learning and to discover new things about our
history.

● Do you remember any happy moment that you would

like to share with us?
Yes, when I was rewarded with the Spanish Cross of the Merit, a medal.
● What impact do you think that your volunteering
activities have in our town?
In the beginning of the Society we were only 11 volunteers, and now we are
more than 20 volunteers.
D. VICENTE SOTO
What is your vocation for the work you do?

I saw like some retired people helped to the rest, I liked it, so in the moment I
finished working, I join them and now I cooperate in all the things I can, like
giving poor people food, clothes...

How many years have you been volunteering? In what fields?

I have been a volunteer for 7 years. I have Caritas´ control, and here in the
office there are also another four people. In total, we are 40 volunteers in
Consuegra.
What is your biggest reward?

My biggest reward is seeing the People in need leaving the office with a big
smile in their face, as a satisfaction´s sign, carrying the things we give to them.

Do you remember any especially nice moment?

Last year, on Christmas Eve, a woman came to the office telling us that she
needed food for dinner, but she could afford it and she wasn´t allowed to get
more food from Cáritas because she did ita couple of days ago. Then she
leaves the office angry. Later, when all the people came to get their food, we
took all the spare food to the woman who could not get more before. We left
the food at her door, and that night, while we were having dinner, we also knew
that the woman was also having her Christmas Eve dinner.