Credits: Refettorio Gastromotiva
A month after the outbreak of COVID-19, Refettorio Gastromotiva has no intention to give up, and thanks to the help of volunteers, the project team and local partners, it has rearranged its activities and continued to assist the community in every possible way.
Unfortunately, the ongoing COVID-19 crisis knows no geographical boundaries. On the 25th of February, Brazil declared the state of emergency – the same country that in 2016 had welcomed Refettorio Gastromotiva with open arms.
It goes without saying, the health emergency had an immediate impact on the project’s operations, and on the 17th of March the Refettorio’s regular activities involving public attendance were suspended. This meant that, not only community lunch and dinner services were put on hold, but also the other activities that the Refettorio usually hosts, such as the Social Gastronomy professional cooking courses, workshops, social and cultural events, and the many educational activities co-organized in partnership with social assistance organizations. As Gastromotiva’s employees started working from home, all the events and corporate volunteering opportunities scheduled from the 17th of March to the end of the year were postponed or cancelled.
But that doesn’t mean that Refettorio Gastromotiva gave up, and after a brief mapping of the demands of the project and of the communities it serves, the Refettorio established an action plan for the coming months with the aim of adapting the activities to the new scenario.
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The kitchen work at Refettorio Gastromotiva has not stopped even during the quarantine. We, volunteers and the project team, know the importance of each meal that is served. Many of our guests only have one meal a day and we cannot stop. Together we are stronger.
Marcia Maia (Volunteer in the kitchen of Refettorio Gastromotiva)
In response to the needs of the community – who requires assistance and food supplies now more than ever – the Refettorio designed and implemented the Refettorio Gastromotiva Food Bank, in partnership with many in the food industry, including restaurants and hotels chains. Thanks to the collaboration with 32 social organizations, projects, and philanthropic religious organizations, on the 24th of March the Food Bank started its operations supervised by the Refettorio staff.
Another beautiful initiative carried out in the last few weeks is called ‘Solidarity Kitchens’, a project that empowers Gastromotiva’s students and alumni to open Solidarity Kitchens inside their homes in the outskirts of Rio. Through food donations, that would have otherwise been sent to landfills, and specific COVID-19 hygiene and food preparation training they are able to provide nutritious meals to vulnerable people living around them, in disadvantaged communities.
At the beginning of April, the Refettorio also started a series of Google Classrooms for the students of the Professional Cooking Course with emphasis on social gastronomy.
Refettorio Gastromotiva is ready to re-open as soon as the situation is declared safe for staff, guests and volunteers, but until then they have no intention of leaving their community behind, showing a resilience and a commitment that we can only applaud. For regular updates on their activities, don’t forget to follow their social media channels where you can support them directly.
To support all our Refettorios and Social Tables worldwide, Food for Soul has launched a Community Fund – to donate click here
