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A
community
against social outcasting
San Patrignano welcomes
all those who have problems related to drug abuse –
without any discrimination based on ideology, social status
or religious beliefs – completely free of charge,
without receiving funding from guests, their families,
or the state.
Since
1978, the community has welcomed more than 18.000 people,
offering each of them a place to live, free medical and
legal assistance, the possibility of studying, job skills
training, and the chance to change their lives, returning
to becoming productive members of society.
San Patrignano is
currently home to 1.800 young people.
The community is comprised of 140 volunteers, 350 collaborators,
many of whom are in recovery. The organization of divided
into three non profit social cooperatives, in a consortium.
In the last few years, San Patrignano has welcomes many
young men as an alternative to prison, replacing more
than 3,500 years of jail time with a therapeutic program
and social reinsertion.
According to scientific research carried out by several
universities on samples of former San Patrignano residents,
72% of those who spent at least 18 months at San Patrignano
were fully rehabilitated.
San
Patrignano: Food
production and agriculture
San Patrignano’s agricultural activities rest on
two historic “columns”, developed at the time
of the community’s founding: wine making and the
raising of sheep and cows for milk. These activities have
always been an integral part of the skills training for
those who come to San Patrignano. Learning a trade is
essential in the reintegration into society. Through the
years, and thanks to our experience, the cheeses and wines
produced at San Patrignano Avi, Montepirolo, and Noi (the
newest) have gained recognition in Italy and abroad. Our
line of cheeses has expanded to include Sheep’s
and goat’s cheese, sqyacquerone, and “fossa”
cheeses, and is being produced in San Patrignano’s
other branches locate din the Marches region as well as
in Trentino. San Patrignano has also begun raising pigs
(the rare native “Mora Romagnola” breed) with
which to produce quality charcuterie, and has a small
farm producing extra virgin olive oil in Cecina (Livorno).
These activities are tied to San Patrignano’s vast
production of foodstuffs for its own use: bread, pasta,
fruit and vegetables, meat.
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