since 2006 the FAS has been supporting the work of the Order in St Petersburg. The local staff there run a series of projects, of which the most significant is a soup kitchen.
The Soup Kitchen is run by local staff of the Order of Malta, was established 15 years ago, and feeds 500 people five days a week for 10 months of the year. This costs roughly EUR120,000 pa (about EUR 1 per meal per day). It is a basic, but effective operation that they run there. The beneficiaries are predominantly pensioners who cannot afford to feed themselves, and some disabled people, who again are not able to fund their own food. Many of those we help to feed walk for over an hour to come to the kitchen, where they are given a full balanced meal and meet friends and chatter away before walking home again. 
A typical meal consista of a thick vegetable soup, with a chicken leg and noodles, a piece of fruit, some bread, a fruit juice drink, some chocolate and a cup of tea with milk and sugar. The infrastructure is solid and well kept, and clearly cared for by both staff and beneficiaries. The overall impression is that is clean, neat and tidy, but clearly not a rich. The team work hard to find the right balance between clever purchasing of materials, and interesting and good diet and ensuring that those who come get a good and caring experience. 
In conjunction with this work, the local staff also provide food for a children’s recuperation facility. The day care centre is intended to take on children aged 6-16 who are unable to attend normal school, because they are convalescing from illness or operations. These children come from poor families, who are unable to care for the children properly, and the state doesn't provide them with any food. We therefore have been providing a meal for these children on a daily basis. The number of children in care fluctuates between 10-35. This project has a budget of EUR 3,000 pa to run - this project was on the brink of being closed down for lack of funds before the OMV stepped in. |
