In one of the most heartwarming stories to come out of Malta this festive season, residents of the island’s basic shelter service YMCA were treated to a nourishing feast courtesy of Chef Manuel Aquilina.

The whole thing was part of an initiative by Knorr’s Corporate Social Responsibility, and was definitely welcomed by the residents of the home as Christmas inches nearer. 

“We are really grateful that Knorr has managed to give us this opportunity for th residents,” said Kylie Muscat, the Head of the YMCA Home. “The residents here often find themselves in problematic situations and it is nice for them to have a nice meal together and were really grateful for this. On top of that, the meal was simply delicious.”

“There are so many people at a disadvantage in our community that we felt the need to come up with an initiative to help out,” said Natalie Avallone. She’s the Brand Manager at M&Z (Marketing) Ltd, the Maltese importers of Knorr. “Seeing the resident’s faces when they were served a scrumptious three course meal was simply priceless.”

A whole three-course meal was served up to the YMCA residents, including a minestrone soup with tortellini, mini meatballs in a creamy thyme gravy and chocolate brownies. 

Delicious food wasn’t the only thing Chef Manuel had to offer. Aquilina also shared the tricks of his trade, giving staff and residents alike advice on how to cater for a large number of people with affordable ingredients.

YMCA offers a variety of social work services to individuals who are underprivileged or socially disadvantaged. These services include support, assistance and even rehabilitation of the homeless. From troubled families and victims of domestic violence to homeless individuals and people living in substandard accommodation the shelter service regularly intervenes to support the positive development of youths.

Kudos to everyone involved in this great initiative, and here’s hoping more people are inspired by this act of generosity and spread the Christmas cheer this holiday season.

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David Grech Urpani

Lovin Malta's Head of Content, Dave has been in journalism for the better half of the last decade. Prefers Instagram, but has been known to doomscroll on TikTok. Loves chicken, women's clothes and Kanye West (most of the time).