Italy

Hunger does not go on holiday!

In 2014, five employees from Aspen’s newly established office in Verona, Italy selected Banco Alimentare, a non-profit organisation that recovers short dated non-perishable food for distribution to the poor, as their beneficiary for Mandela Day.

Little did they realise at that time that this partnership would develop and strengthen over the years. In July, Aspen Italy supported Banco Alimentare for the sixth consecutive year. The only difference was the size of the team and a heightened level of enthusiasm as they shared Aspen’s ethos of caring for others while reminding themselves that Hunger does not go on holiday!

The team assisted Banco Alimentare to repurpose and pack food for redistribution to hungry citizens, thereby providing them with the first step in rediscovering dignity and hope. Banco Alimentare has been the catalyst of projects that fight poverty for some 30 years. Through its advocation of waste consciousness, it has expanded its network of suppliers who reliably and passionately support the cause and it has become a meeting point for a vast range of projects that alleviate poverty to non-profit associations in the country. An added advantage is that Banco Alimentare’s model has contributed to job creation and the establishment of feeding opportunities across Italy.