THE FOOD CENTER PROJECT
The Food Center in the neighborhood of Isola in Milan, Italy, looks like any neighborhood supermarket. Its shelves are full of fresh fruits and vegetables, packages of pasta and bottles of olive oil. However, this is not an ordinary supermarket. All of its customers are people who don't have money to buy enough food. The center was opened by the city of Milan to help those people. All the products there are donated by businesses and restaurants in the neighborhood. The center gives them out for free.(lines 1–10)
The Isola Food Center is part of a larger program in Milan. "The city is trying to deal with two problems," explains Carla Rossi, a volunteer at the Isola center. "First, a lot of food here is thrown away when it's still good to eat. At the same time, many people in the city can't afford to buy the food they need. To help solve both problems, food centers were opened in several neighborhoods." According to Carla, volunteers in each neighborhood collect the food donations and bring them to the center. "People who need the food usually come to the center to get it," she says. "But if they can't come, volunteers bring it to their homes."(lines 11–17)
The Milan program started in 2015 with only one center. Today, there are food centers in five different neighborhoods. Each center collects and distributes over 10 tons of food every month. "The program is very successful," says Carla Rossi. "It's because each center operates in one specific neighborhood. Everyone knows everyone, so it's easy to ask the local businesses for their help. We also know exactly who needs food, and make sure they get it."(lines 18–22)
Many cities around the world are interested in opening similar food centers. Milan is already advising other cities, like Seoul in South Korea, on how to start such centers. "Any city can adopt this program," says Carla. "They only need to find people who are willing to work hard in order to help others."(lines 23–26)