Casa congratulates Valletta soup kitchen, sounds warning over worsening poverty

MEP David Casa congratulated the Soup Kitchen Valletta OFM for being formally awarded the European Citizen’s Prize 2023 in a ceremony organised by the European Parliament Liaison Office in Valletta.

“I congratulate Fr Marcellino for the well-deserved recognition of his efforts during these past challenging years,” Casa stated. “Through his work, the soup kitchen upheld the dignity of those who found themselves in a vulnerable situation when they had nowhere else to turn.”

But Casa also warned that the fact the soup kitchen was needed, is a clear policy failure. While praising the efforts of Fr Marcellino for creating a safety net for those in need, Casa emphasised that soup kitchens are no solution to poverty.

“Nobody should need to rely on soup kitchens to feed their children,” Casa claimed. “Poverty needs to be addressed effectively, and the need for soup kitchens is a sign that the system has failed.”

While noting the need to enact policy with a much stronger social conscience, Casa once again thanked and congratulated Fr Marcellino for ensuring that “indifference did not trump solidarity.”

Casa nominated the Soup Kitchen Valletta OFM project for the Citizen’s Prize earlier this year on the basis of having created “a community of solidarity and understanding to uphold the dignity of those at risk of poverty and social exclusion.”

The award is organised by the European Parliament and recognises outstanding contributions to the promotion of common values and fundamental rights.