FOOD Beteavòn, the Kitchen in Milan that Feeds Whoever Needs It

By Ada Treves

A growing success and outstanding results, based on generosity and the idea of mutual support: “Beteavòn”, the first Kosher Kitchen in Italy was born in January 2014 to provide take away meals for free, for whoever needs them. Food is prepared following the laws of kashrut, the Jewish diet, by the educational branch of the Chabad Lubavitch movement – the Merkos l’Inyonei Chinuch – but food is completely free disregarding age, sex or religion.

In this particularly complex moment, when more and more people are struggling because of the harsh economic crisis, “Beteavòn” was born with the idea of responding to a discomfort that does not appear only in disadvantaged groups, but hits in different ways. The idea is to provide continuous support as well as helping those who need it only for a limited amount of time or only certain days of the week, and the kitchen works often to support the elders, who are sometimes unable to care for themselves, and large families, or those in which one parent has some difficulties and is therefore unable to cook. But the kitchen works for anyone who is living a moment of difficulty, and the projects operates jointly with the Municipality of Milan and in synergy with the Social Services of the Jewish Community of Milan, with the support of Enel Cuore, non profit organization active in the social assistance and sanitary field, and the Lombardy Region.

The workforce is based on a strong network of volunteers, who alternate with each other in preparing and delivering the food, and the actual result is the distribution of more than 900 meals per month. But the target is to increase the number to 1.000 per month, so economical support is always fundamental, but considering the energy, the joy and the strength that have guided all people involved to the actual results, nothing seems to be impossible. Beteavòn!