Institutional portal - Municipality of Milan

Rabaiotti: “An activity that the city needs to respond to the needs of people living on the streets”

Milan, November 7 2020 - The new Mobile Kitchen service of Fondazione Progetto Arca was presented on Saturday 7 November, which will be active from next week in Milan and which will accompany its street units, which for years have been working in a network with the Central Station Help Center of the Municipality of Milan in the assistance to homeless people living on the streets.

“An activity that the city needs - says the councilor for social and housing policies Gabriele Rabaiotti - now more than ever. We have already faced the difficulties of the emergency, amplified when people find themselves on the streets, unable to protect themselves and others. This initiative improves the quality of a service which has already achieved a good level of response in the city, managing to provide a hot dish and a more balanced diet to the homeless. That dish also represents an opportunity to exchange a few words, inform about the services offered and try to convince these people to use the facilities which, like every year, will soon be activated for the Cold Plan".

The idea of ​​the Mobile Kitchen was born from the experience gained in the field, by operators and volunteers of the non-profit organization, during this year of health, social and food emergency which has imposed a forced closure of numerous services to support fragile homeless people. Added to this is the need to provide a healthy and balanced nutritional intake to those who do not have the means and possibility to access or prepare a hot and complete meal.

“A hot dish donated as a gesture of care and attention is the most direct, sincere and welcoming way to get in touch with a person, to tell them that they can trust you and to start establishing a dialogue - says Alberto Sinigallia, president of Ark Project Foundation -. The basis of all our activities and services dedicated to homeless people is closeness and concrete support in response to a primary need, just like food: a fundamental right of every human being, with an important relationship value. A hot, healthy and good meal is the first step towards a more structured care of the fragile person, then starting them towards a recovery of their life".

The Mobile Kitchen consists of a food truck equipped with stove, oven and kettles, which will follow the Progetto Arca street units particularly during the colder months, delivering 120 freshly cooked hot meals every evening, for 5 days a week, with proposals diversified for an adequate nutritional intake in terms of quantity and quality. Together with the hot meal, the volunteers will also give anyone they meet on the street a bag containing packaged foods for the other two meals (breakfast and lunch) the following day.

The service guarantees, together with the delivery of meals, also moments of dialogue with qualified operators, necessary to orient people in difficulty and without shelter to the welfare and health services in the area. The resulting relationship of trust will be the basis for a desired path of reception and social reintegration.

“This project is part of a solid and well-structured partnership with Fondazione Progetto Arca - states Marco Magnelli, director of Banco Alimentare della Lombardia - We have been collaborating for years to give a concrete and univocal response to the need and today, faced with of the emergency linked to the pandemic, we are even more united to help people in difficulty". 

Sinigallia concludes: “Thank you very much to the Lombardy Food Bank, with which we have been collaborating for years, and to the Banca del Monte di Lombardia Foundation and the Italian Buddhist Union, three indispensable partners who, with their contribution, allow us to implement this new service dedicated to the most fragile people". 

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