July 3 marked the International Day of Cooperatives and the theme chosen for this year was ‘Rebuild Better Together’.

As part of an international campaign aimed to showcase how cooperatives around the globe are meeting the COVID-19 pandemic with solidarity and resilience, Koperattivi Malta donated a month’s worth of fresh local produce to Dar Papa Franġisku.

Set up in 2016, the Birkirkara home is the first shelter of its kind. It accommodates males aged between 18 to 59 who, because of various issues, end up homeless. The home provides warm meals, hygienic and laundry services all year round. More than 80 people a day benefit from the generosity of this home. This number increased drastically in recent months because of COVID-19.

Now it is our time to give something back and our 5,000 members are very happy to help

The initiative by Koperattivi Malta, in collaboration with Caritas Malta, assisted the home through the provision of goods. The fruit and vegetables, the fish, the beef and the dairy products donated are locally produced or sold through the Koperattivi Malta members.

“Our cooperatives have shown a great deal of resilience in the last months as they faced the pandemic. They managed to keep their businesses afloat and keep the workers in full pay,” incoming CEO of Koperattivi Malta Daniel Schembri said.

“The cooperative model has, once again, proved to be a successful source of economic activity and job creation even in times of pandemic. Now it is our time to give something back and our 5,000 members are very happy to help.”

Koperattivi Malta is a non-political organisation set up by the Co-operative Societies Act of 2001. Its sole purpose is to represent and promote a cooperative movement in the Maltese islands. The entity’s mission is to provide vital service to its members in the fields of education, training and management consultancy.

Fondazzjoni Dar il-Hena is grateful for Koperattivi Malta’s solidarity gesture on the International Day of Cooperatives. It served as a thank you for the hard work of local Maltese producers, who despite the COVID-19 pandemic, kept the local produce going, amid the difficulties they encountered.

This donation will continue to help the Fondazzjoni Dar il-Hena in giving a better service to its service users, while renewing its commitment towards the Maltese society to help those less fortunate and vulnerable families and individuals.