Good products that give good results. In Imola, home of the CLAI agri-food cooperative, this obligation has been felt since its founding in 1962 and, if possible, becomes even more valuable with each Christmas. This year it was decided to renew our valuable cooperation with Banco Alimentare, which will allow us to donate 250 thousand* meals to people in need through affiliated charities, as is now customary.
Unlike previous years, CLAI’s commitment this time is mostly focused on a specific region, Emilia-Romagna (80% of the entire contribution, equal to 200 thousand meals). The reason for this lies in what happened in May, when floods brought drama and destruction to many families and businesses. Even today, months later, there are many people who have to deal with the consequences of this disaster.
“Usually our solidarity initiative at the end of the year does not have a specific geographical target, but this time we wanted CLAI’s contribution to also reveal a strong message: never make the mistake of leaving these people behind,” said CLAI president Giovanni Bettini. Those who suffer the most in a region hit by such violence. For many people, the challenges they face increase as the months pass. Attention, empathy and sacrifice are needed more than ever. “I would therefore like to thank our friends at the Food Bank for immediately offering their extraordinary resources to support us in this new solidarity goal.”
This additional demonstration of the profitable matchmaking between CLAI and Banco Alimentare takes on a different value than usual due to the fact that, together with the Christmas 2023 contribution, the total number of meals donated by the agri-food cooperative in the five-year cooperation also increases. It reaches an important and symbolic share of over one and a half million. A small but tangible contribution to support the valuable activity of Banco Alimentare, which helped more than 1.75 million people by distributing 110 thousand tons of food in 2022.
President Bettini continues: “One and a half million meals in five years is an extraordinary result that gives us great joy. It is a great satisfaction to know that you have brought a moment of relief and serenity to so many people. “It is one more incentive to continue on our path of solidarity and concern for others, which we try to express in different ways so that we can reach the ever-increasing number of places we need to help.”
There has always been a firm belief within the Imola Cooperative that the goodness of each product should correspond to the general welfare of the society.
CLAI marketing director Gianfranco Delfini explains: “And the word “community” has a central meaning in CLAI’s identity – because it is very relevant to the theme of “human sustainability”, which we try to demonstrate strongly in every situation of our daily life and movements. With the Food Bank, every passing day The beautiful collaboration that has been strengthened over the years makes the most of this concept, because it allows us to create initiatives in this field that give life to real human connections and thereby also expand the base of ready-made “friends” to do something useful together. A kind of “contagion of goodness”.
This is exactly why the number of initiatives we are implementing on this front is increasing. Starting from the collaboration born this year with the Community of Sant’Egidio, which cares for people in vulnerable situations; We should not forget the work carried out with ANT Italia Onlus, which has been going on for a while, to support free home health care activities for cancer patients and to provide a series of preventive visits for the same Cooperative employees. Particular attention is also paid to the support of Insieme a te, a voluntary association from Faenza, which opened a swimming facility for people with severe disabilities in Punta Marina Terme.”
“We are grateful to CLAI for once again asking us to join them in their Christmas campaign,” concludes Giovanni Bruno, president of the Banco Alimentare Onlus Foundation. Especially in a year like this, which has seen a succession of many emergencies that suddenly affect thousands of people, it is important for us to be able to rely on the constant support of partner companies to continue our daily work. We are confident that our journey with CLAI can continue with greater responsibility than ever before, for the benefit of many families in distress.”
Good products with good results: For CLAI, this is the right way to understand the role of a cooperative in society.
*An equivalent meal corresponds to 500g. Amount of food based on LARN (Reference Nutrient and Energy Intake Levels for the Italian population).
Source: Today IT
Roy Brown is a renowned economist and author at The Nation View. He has a deep understanding of the global economy and its intricacies. He writes about a wide range of economic topics, including monetary policy, fiscal policy, international trade, and labor markets.
