A suspended meal

The initiative, born from the collaboration between Rotary Club Trieste and Caritas Diocesana Trieste, was presented today, Monday, December 16, at Caffè degli Specchi in the presence of Bishop Enrico Trevisi.

"When someone is happy in Naples, instead of paying for a coffee for themselves, they pay for another one for someone else; it’s like offering a cup of coffee to the rest of the world": this is how Luciano De Crescenzo described the philanthropic Neapolitan tradition of the “suspended coffee,” which has inspired similar solidarity initiatives over the years. One of the latest to be born is the project “Pasto sospeso,” promoted by Rotary Italia in various territories, which has now arrived in Trieste. The goal embraced by Rotary Club Trieste is to offer concrete help to those who struggle to ensure at least one meal a day: donations received, which can be made in participating commercial establishments, are transferred to Caritas Diocesana Trieste, which converts them into an actual meal that is served directly at its facilities or delivered to the homes of people in need.

"In an era where attention to ourselves 'weakens' empathy, that is, the ability to put ourselves in the shoes of others," said Alessandro Zanmarchi, president of Rotary Club Trieste, "it is nice to think that a small gesture of attention toward needy (and unknown) people can change and improve not only their lives but, upon reflection, also ours. A suspended coffee, a suspended meal are small gestures that can, in their small way, open up great prospects and trigger the most virtuous changes. As for the people to whom help could be directed, we would like to expand our gaze and action to include those (individuals and families) who, finding themselves suddenly in conditions of poverty due to critical situations, prefer to hide their difficulties with dignified reserve, often until they reach particularly critical states of deprivation."

Great satisfaction for an initiative that helps to "spread the culture of solidarity" and to "move from simply denouncing what is wrong to doing something together" was also expressed by Bishop Enrico Trevisi: "I thank that this initiative has also been launched in Trieste, to which several prestigious establishments in our city are beginning to adhere. And thanks to those who have promoted this opportunity that allows everyone to contribute to alleviating the hardship of those in difficulty. A special thanks to the Rotary Club of Trieste and all those who want to be protagonists of this collective participation in solidarity. I like to think that God’s promise 'I am with you' is also realized in Trieste through many generous people who know how to be an expression of a fraternity that unites us, of caring for one another, which is already an expression of a communion that makes the compassionate presence of God transparent."

You choose to have lunch/dinner or make a purchase at an establishment participating in the initiative. The establishment can be found through the website (https://www.pastosospesotrieste.it), paper guides, or simply by looking for the symbol of the initiative. At the chosen establishment, it will be possible to donate one or more meals (you can buy one or more vouchers with a unit value of 2 or 5 Euros): for each meal donated, a numbered voucher will be provided as proof of the donation; the donation will then be transferred, with no intermediaries, directly to the territorial organization providing the meals, which in Trieste is Caritas Diocesana Trieste. The website will allow you to check the total number of donations, which will be updated weekly.

There are various ways to support the project: to learn more or to join as a commercial establishment, just send an email to info@pastosospesotrieste.it. The initiative, which enjoys the patronage of the Municipality of Trieste as part of the initiatives for the centenary of Rotary Club Trieste, is supported by: Solidarietà Trieste ETS, Diocese of Trieste, FIPE Trieste, Casali Foundations, Modiano, Peratoner/Caffè degli Specchi - Antico Ristorante Tommaseo - La Bomboniera.