Fricchiò's recipe for creating work and independence

From the day centre to residential communities and a social enterprise in catering: the project of the Centro Papa Giovanni XXIII cooperative in Ancona, where catering serves up genuine inclusion

From a cooking workshop created in a day centre to a fully fledged catering business capable of serving hundreds of people. This is the story of Fricchiò, the social catering project of the Centro Papa Giovanni XXIII cooperative in Ancona, an organisation that for almost thirty years has built services around the wishes and potential of persons with disabilities.

It all began in the Scrima district of Ancona, where in the late 1990s a group of volunteers linked to the local parish began organising leisure activities for persons with disabilities. From that experience, the Centro Papa Giovanni XXIII social cooperative was established in 1997, and it remains a point of reference for many local families today.

A moment of daily life in the residential communities of Centro Papa Giovanni XXIII in Ancona

The first building block was the day centre. Today it welcomes 27 persons with disabilities and remains the heart of the cooperative. Over the years, however, the educational model has evolved: many activities now take place directly in the city, in everyday settings, based on the idea that inclusion should not happen inside protected spaces but within the community. A complex system of services has developed around the day centre. In 2005 the Il Samaritano residential community was opened, followed in 2010 by the Don Paolucci community, both designed to welcome persons with disabilities who need ongoing support or no longer have adequate family support. Casa Sollievo was later added, an apartment designed to test pathways towards independence and to address in practical terms the issue of 'during us', helping people and families gradually build their own Life Project. Over time, Diffonde was also launched, an employment agency accredited by the Marche Region that supports persons with disabilities through guidance and job placement pathways. Today, a total of 45 people with intellectual disabilities are involved with the cooperative, many of whom have high support needs.

'We have never started from a project designed at a desk,' says Giorgia Sordoni, president of the cooperative. 'We have always tried to build services around the people we support. Every new activity has grown from listening to their needs, their wishes and the opportunities that could become real.'

Along this journey, cooking proved to be a particularly effective tool. In 2012, an initial 'solidarity catering' experience took shape, starting with pizzas, biscuits and buffets for birthday parties. What began as an educational workshop grew through the involvement of a passionate chef and, year after year, took on an increasingly professional dimension.

The turning point came in 2020. The cooperative expanded its statutes, adding a genuine social enterprise for employment inclusion to its socio-educational activities. Fricchiò was born, with a name inspired by a traditional Marche recipe.

'Fricchiò has become our brand, the face we present to the outside world,' Sordoni explains. 'Today we provide catering for companies, ceremonies, public and private events. We can manage highly complex services and have worked at events with more than four hundred participants.' The heart of the project, however, is the people who work there. Some young persons with disabilities have been directly employed and work as part of the service teams. Each has precise and meaningful duties and works alongside catering professionals. 'It was important to us that the work be real, not symbolic activity,' Sordoni stresses. 'Everyone has a defined role and makes a concrete contribution to the success of the catering service.' 'We are convinced that work is one of the highest forms of citizenship,' Sordoni concludes. 'When a person is recognised for what they can do, the way they see themselves changes, and the way the community sees them changes too. That is how genuine inclusion begins.'

The cooperative is not stopping there. Projects currently being developed include purchasing a social food truck and opening a bed and breakfast, new activities that could create further opportunities for work and independence for the people involved. Almost thirty years after it was founded, Centro Papa Giovanni XXIII continues to grow without losing its identity: starting from people and building opportunities around them.