He La Milagrosa soup kitchenlocated on La Noria Street in Santa Cruz, asks for help to raise funds due to the lack of financial resources derived after the beginning of the renovation works on the property.
This center closed its doors on November 27 to begin, for two months, urgent renovation work on its facilities, which included bathrooms, dining room and kitchen. Situation that led the religious community Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent Paul, in charge of its management, to stop paying attention to the more than one hundred homeless or socially excluded people who came daily to receive food, clothing, a shower or work, training and social assistance services.
The person in charge of La Milagrosa, Sister Clotilde del Pino, explained to DIARIO DE AVISOS that “the religious institution has been providing help to the most disadvantaged in the capital for almost 40 years, but it is an old building, with many problems in its infrastructure, such as dampness, broken tiles and rotten wood, which needed to be addressed.”
To carry out the reform, the congregation requested a public subsidy, which was granted through personal income tax after the initial evaluation of the project. “We received almost 80,000 euros, but now they are insufficient because, due to a poor measurement included in the drafting of the works, plus problems with pipes detected by the contractor, the cost has increased and we cannot face it without help,” said the sister.
Although the Santa Cruz City Council has facilitated the attention of the users of La Milagrosa in the Municipal Reception Center, in addition to providing a space for them to store the furniture while the works last, Sister Clotilde pointed out that “it has been detected that the majority of The people we served here are not going to the shelter and are in a situation of helplessness, especially during these Christmas periods. Hence the important need to finish the works and keep this dining room open.”
A problem that has led the nuns to start a campaign to raise private funds with which to carry out the works and face the “exorbitant” expenses involved in feeding and washing clothes for more than a hundred people every day.
“Although we receive subsidies from the Cabildo, City Council, Personal Income Tax and other associations, the money is always the same and the prices have increased greatly and we are no longer able to continue with the work. We don’t want to close the doors of the center, but we won’t be able to continue like this. We need everyone’s generosity, even if they are small donations,” said Sister Clotilde.
The La Milagrosa social work not only feeds marginalized people or families without resources in Santa Cruz, but also has a food commissary and also provides training and guidance to users. People who want to contribute to this cause can do so through the following telephone numbers: 922 24 61 04 or 662 386 289.
