A soup kitchen in Valletta served up almost 120,000 plates of food last year, feeding more than 30,000 hungry mouths.

Workers at the Soup Kitchen OFM prepared 91,350 lunches and 27,000 packed suppers throughout the year, figures released by the charitable organisation on Saturday showed.

In total, they served 30,450 guests, with 220 of them being children. The vast majority – 86 per cent – were Maltese.

The soup kitchen said that 35 of its guests have since managed to find a job with their help.

Guests tended to skew male (62 per cent) and came from all across Malta. There were guests from Valletta itself as well as neighbouring Floriana, to more distant places like Kirkop or St Paul’s Bay.

The Valletta soup kitchen only opened in August 2021, making it impossible to directly compare year-on-year figures. However, the statistics for 2022 indicate a slight increase in activity.

Between September and December of 2021, the soup kitchen served roughly 30,000 meals to 8,600 people.

Official statistics suggest intense poverty is on the rise, with 28,000 people categorised as being severely materially deprived in 2021 - a six-year high. Figures for 2022 have not yet been released. 

The Soup Kitchen OFM is run by Franciscan Friars and relies on donations and volunteers to operate.

Feeding 30,000 people is not cheap:  the organisation spent €710,000 on food last year. 

In 2022, 1,265 individuals, 36 compaanies, 12 schools and eight youth centres dipped into their pockets to help fund the soup kitchen.

It employs one full-timer and one-part timers, with 95 helpers manning cooking stations and serving up food.

One lawyer, three nurses, two social workers, one psychotherapist, one youth worker and three hairdressers also volunteer their time to offer their services to soup kitchen guests.

The organisation also has seven board members, who also work on a voluntary basis.

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact 79227570. 

Donations to the Soup Kitchen OFM can be made via bank transfer, PayPal or cheque.

APS:

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BOV:

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PAYPAL:

http://www.soupkitchenofmvalletta.com/

CHEQUES:

Addressed to the Soup Kitchen OFM – Valletta, 40, St Ursula Street Valletta