Milan responds to the request for support from Food Trails' partner city Warsaw which is facing an emergency of war refugees.
More than 10 tons of food aid and hygiene products were sent from Milan to Warsaw to support the humanitarian activities of the Polish city, engaged to help Ukrainian refugees.
It was the collaboration between the Municipality of Milan, with its Food Policy Office, and the Association “Istituto Beata Vergine Addolorata” (IBVA) that made possible the departure of the convoy, which arrived at its destination on April 14, after traveling 1,500 km.
More than 2.1 million people have crossed the Polish border, making the country the most committed to supporting war refugees. 515,000 persons have passed through Warsaw and 280,000 have remained permanently in the city, generating a 16% growth in the urban population.
Due to this complex situation, in late March, the City of Warsaw – partner of the Food Trails project – sent a request for support to Food Trails’ partner in order to cope with the huge and rapid mobilization of resources.
“It binds us to Warsaw a collaboration that began in 2017 precisely on food policy projects and we feel close to the people and institutions of this city that is doing so much to welcome those who are currently fleeing the war” underlines the mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala who, together with deputy mayor Anna Scavuzzo, met IBVA volunteers and donation partners Gruppo Fenzi and Setoa.
“This trip demonstrates that a synergy between nonprofit and profit, guided by attentive and diligent public institutions, can produce great results. We must also keep in mind that nothing would have been possible without the great generosity of the people of Milan – declares the president of IBVA, Gerolamo Caccia Dominioni.
The convoy for Warsaw is just one of the projects that have involved the cooperation between the Municipality of Milan and IBVA.
Since 2020, during the lockdown, the association has taken part in the Food Aid System that has been implemented through 10 hubs, activated in the city. Today IBVA is working at the Gallaratese Hub and it will be involved in the opening of a new hub that will recover food surplus (opening scheduled for May 2022).
IBVA has also activated cards of its social market “Solidando” addressed to Ukrainian refugees in Milan and, since the beginning of the emergency in Ukraine, has activated a food collection in favor of the Ukrainian Red Cross, sent to the border between Poland and Ukraine in March 2022.
