According to Istat data, in 2023 in Italy 5.7 million people and 2.2 million families lived in conditions of absolute poverty. For many people in difficulty and experiencing social hardship, Christmas can represent a period of greater loneliness and marginalisation. To meet the needs of the most vulnerable during the Christmas period Operation bread, Antoniano’s campaign in support of 20 Franciscan realities in Italy – in ten regions – and 5 in the world, has strengthened: the number of volunteers involved in the Franciscan canteens has grown by 30 percent.
The data from the Antoniano observatory on poverty in Italy show that in 2024, thanks to the commitment of Zecchino d’Oro, the Piccolo Coro dell’Antoniano, the friars, the volunteers, the operators and the donors, Operation Pane’s Franciscan canteens distributed an average of 52,580 meals per month, with a daily average of over 2,000 meals and a monthly increase of 28.7% compared to 2023.
They add to these the food baskets delivered to families in difficulty, with an average of 2,066 monthly units in the first ten months of 2024. Furthermore, during the Christmas period, the baskets were further enriched, transforming into special packages including gifts for children, panettone, chocolate and other products designed to offer a signal of even stronger closeness at this time of year.
It was above all the families who received help: 1,309 who counted on the support of the friars and volunteers to put a meal on the table during 2024. Among them there are 1,656 boys and girls, a figure which compared to 2023 shows an increase of 20.2% regarding the number of minors. Families are supported by individuals in difficulty: during 2024, there were 5,815 single people helped by the friars and volunteers, with an average age of 47 years.
But Operation Pane does not only offer food aid, but also services designed to respond to multiple daily needs: from the distribution of clothing and basic necessities to financial help for basic expenses, including psychological support, legal advice, assistance dedicated to homeless people and job search.
In addition to donations through official channels (site: www.operazionepane.it), you have until December 31st to support Operation Bread through the solidarity number, with a text message or a phone call from a landline to the number 45538: 2 euros for each SMS sent from WINDTRE, TIM, Vodafone, iliad, PosteMobile, Coop Voce and Tiscali mobile phones; 5 or 10 euros from TIM, Vodafone, WINDTRE, Fastweb, Tiscali and Geny Communications landlines; 5 euros for calls from TWT, Convergenze and PosteMobile landlines.
