San Patrignano: tackling addiction with love
San Patrignano: tackling addiction with love
For more than 40 years, the San Patrignano community in Italy has provided free support to young people struggling with addiction. Jim Banks explores how refrigeration equipment supplier Castel MAC is helping to strengthen its education and recovery programs.
Drug addiction can cause irreparable damage to families and communities across the world, but with the support of peers, mentors, and people with experience in rehabilitation, it can be overcome. This has been proven time and time again by the San Patrignano project. San Patrignano is a community for life that welcomes people suffering from drug addiction and marginalization, helping them find their way to a healthy and productive life through a rehabilitation program built on love, acceptance, and mutual support. “This is the largest recovery community in Europe,” says Matteo Diotalevi, communications manager at San Patrignano.
“Founded in 1978, it is dedicated to helping young people with addiction problems. It has become a point of reference for rehabilitation thanks to its socio-educational approach, with individual recovery paths, characterized by listening and discussion.” More than 800 people currently live in the community, which functions like a small town. Over the years, as many as 26,000 individuals have been welcomed through its gates. Remarkably more than 72% of those who complete the course of rehabilitation recover fully from their addiction. That rate of success is extraordinary, and San Patrignano stands out as a beacon of hope for young people. “We are committed to helping not only those who have already fallen into the drug tragedy, but thousands of other young people who might find themselves with the same problem in the future,” says Diotalevi. “And it is free, because love is a gift.”
Learning through experience, teamwork and dedication
Training for the future
Different roads to recovery
Within the community, each person follows a recovery path tailored to their individual needs. Intervention can be educational in nature but, when the need arises, a person can also benefit from psychological or psychotherapeutic support. Each person at San Patrignano is provided with opportunities for professional training in a variety of sectors. Primarily, this helps them connect with other team members and, in turn, with the wider community. They first learn how to interact with others and then develop skills that will be useful for working in a trade outside the community.
The skills available include a variety of artisanal trades, particularly in agri-food production, such as work in the cellar, dairy, or bakery. “Regardless of the sector in which people are placed, they learn the basic rules of the workplace, such as respecting timetables, their collaborators, and the responsibilities assigned to them,” says Diotalevi, who notes that artistic activities, such as choir and theater, and sports are also part of the process.
“The driving forces behind the San Patrignano project are a love for others, the belief that everyone should have a second chance, and allowing those who ask for help to rebuild their lives. The community’s success is demonstrated by the thousands of stories of recovery and reintegration into society and the world of work.” For those vocational programs, especially those focused on the foodservice sector, having access to equipment typically found in commercial kitchens is essential. To support this, San Patrignano partnered with Castel MAC, a company within the Ali Group.
Knowledge through experience
A partner with purpose
Castel MAC, a specialist in professional refrigeration, is dedicated to supporting community initiatives like this by supplying equipment and technical expertise. “Castel MAC is a very well-structured group, composed of three main brands, each with its own area of expertise,” says Christian Sebastiani, commercial and marketing director, Castel MAC S.r.l. “Tecnomac is a key reference in retarder-proofing systems, offering both roll-in and reach-in chambers and cabinets designed for controlled proofing and fermentation of dough.
The product range includes equipment such as proofing chambers, fermentation chambers, roll-in blast chillers, blast freezing tunnels, and customized solutions,” he adds. “Icematic is a renowned manufacturer of icemaking systems, with its K Series featuring an innovative paddle system to produce hollow ice cubes, ensuring high reliability and performance, even in demanding environments.
Lastly, Hiber specializes in refrigeration solutions for the gelato and confectionery sectors, providing high-quality blast chillers, shock freezers, and storage cabinets.” Castel MAC also provides San Patrignano with expertise that enhances the effectiveness of its recovery programs. But that is not the only reason the partnership works so well. “We chose Castel MAC because it shares our values of social responsibility,” says Diotalevi. “They supply equipment that matches the training and work needs of the community. That means these young people have the opportunity to acquire skills that are useful for their future – they’re constantly updated on new production techniques.”
The program’s success, along with San Patrignano’s relationship with Castel MAC, will undoubtedly lead to additional training initiatives to help the community stay current with innovative technologies and find their place in the foodservice industry. Love may be the driving force behind San Patrignano’s success, but when it comes to reintegration into society, practical know-how goes a long way too.
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Castel MAC celebrated an extraordinary milestone in 2023: 60 years of success, innovation and growth
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Castel MAC employs more than 100 employees across its operations
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Castel MAC companies Tecnomac and Icematic produce more than over 6,000 modular machines per year
What drives Castel MAC’s approach to professional refrigeration?
The ability to combine specialized know-how, innovation and practical solutions that make a difference in everyday operations.