A party full of warmth and sharing, in a year in which as many as 251 residents have reintegrated into society
Christmas and new entrances. As tradition San Patrignano always opens the doors to all of those who ask for help, with the desire to make everyone spend a warm Christmas. There will be over 430 residents who, having entered in 2017, will live this festivity for their first time in the community. 39 are those who have already entered in the last month to which will be added those that will arrive tomorrow, as explained by President Antonio Tinelli: “As every year tomorrow we will open our doors to welcome those who want to try to take back their lives, it’s the most beautiful gift one can give “.
2017 was a very positive year for the community, in light of a scenario that was not very comforting: “It was an important year for San Patrignano – continues Tinelli – The number of admissions has increased compared to the previous year, so did the requests for help, about 6,000 calls, e-mails and an increase of social media usage. We have never stopped reaching out to those in need of help and unfortunately there are always many families who call us for their sons, that are more and more young. Only in 2017 we received 29 minors. We are witnessing a strong heroin return and we see more and more how young people make no distinction between one substance and another, with the polydrug use that concerns 90 percent of those who turn to us. This is why the wish I give to society for this Christmas is to return to open our eyes to a problem that is current and which is often the basis of many news events. Of positive for the community is that the recognition coming from the educational world, continues to see in San Patrignano a point of reference. There are more and more requests for prevention meetings, so much so that this year we have reached about 50 thousand students “.
A Christmas that as every year will be of great satisfaction for the community that has seen many young people who have found themselves in San Patrignano and have returned to live: “Seeing residents return home after having seen them enter is always a special moment. This year, 251 residents returned to society after successfully completing their program, including 80 percent of them with a job on hand. To them goes a very warm greeting”.
And it will be a real party in the magnificent dining room decorated for the occasion, with the Christmas lights covering the ceiling, the many Christmas trees made of recycled barrique barrels and each decorated by a vocational training sector. For all the residents of the community, on December 24th will take place the traditional Christmas Eve dinner based on maltagliati with chickpeas and cod with potato cream. Following, the mass will be held in the auditorium celebrated by Don Fiorenzo Baldacci, with many former guests of the community who will arrive in San Patrignano to take part of the event. Then the Christmas toast in the dining room: almost half a kilometer of tables for about 2000 people to experience the exciting delivery of gifts for each of the residents.
The following day for all the residents, according to the Romagna tradition there will be a lunch with cappelletti in soup, over 100 thousand are those prepared on Christmas Eve by the kitchen residents along with the mothers who came to help for the occasion.