Fr Marcellino Micallef said the kitchen would at first feed 30 people three times a week, the number hopefully rising to 80 people, five times a week. Photos: Matthew Mirabelli

It has taken 15 months, hundreds of meetings and volumes of documentation but the Franciscan monastery in Valletta has finally got the green light to transform a huge room into a soup kitchen.

The building, in St Ursula Street, was first constructed in 1584, which meant endless procedures to ensure its history was safeguarded but even a charitable endeavour like this requires the same scrutiny as a full-blown restaurant, from disabled access to hygiene requirements.

With the permit now in hand, the work is scheduled to start next week and should be ready within three months.

Superior Fr Marcellino Micallef said the kitchen would start slowly, feeding 30 people three times a week but, once up and running, it hoped to cater for 80 people, five times a week.

The service will be offered in a vast high-ceilinged room, which, in the past was used as a refectory, at a time when the monastery had more than its present handful of clergy.

It also served as a cinema at one time but it will now have a separate kitchen, with stores on a mezzanine floor, offices above and the 90-square metre serving area.

In Valletta, this isthe reality of the population: either you have succeeded or you got a blow from which you never survive

Getting the permit was only the first hurdle the former missionary had to face.

Bolstered by the support of the Valletta local council and stacks of designs prepared by ARC Studios on a voluntary basis, he then set about getting all that was needed to equip the kitchen, which will cost about €200,000, including €32,000 for the appliances alone.

“I believed in God’s providence,” he smiled.

Working on the premise that a problem shared is a problem halved, he is seeking 14 companies that would split the €4,000 annual running costs between them.

He is also getting help from leading hotels that will be seconding chefs to the monastery to ensure the soup kitchen does more than its name implies and serves nourishing and wholesome food.

The chefs will also train former prison inmates, teaching them new skills that might help them find jobs later on but the kitchen will also rely on volunteers. Indeed, volunteers have helped at every stage, from auditors to lawyers and engineers.

Fr Marcellino said the service could not come at a more important time in the fight against poverty.

“The religious orders in Valletta face a constant stream of people seeking help and we get referrals from social workers, the police, parishes and other charities, primarily Caritas.”

One thing is certain: he does not think it will be difficult to fill the chairs in the soup kitchen.

“How can you survive on just €460 a month, as many of our petitioners do? In Valletta, this is the reality of the population: either you have succeeded or you got a blow from which you never survive,” he said, referring to those who experience mental health issues, domestic violence or even loneliness.

“At the moment there are two shelters for the homeless and even these are not enough to cope,” he said.

Anyone wishing to donate can send money to Bank of Valletta account 40024827012.

http://www.soupkitchenofmvalletta.com

The Franciscan monastery in Valletta.