The work and direct contact of the Malta Community Chest Fund with patients and people in need of its assistance will once again be offered from the MCCF offices, part of the Presidential Palace, in Valletta.
This follows a three-year work process to modernize these offices and equip them with facilities that offer the necessary comfort and privacy for all those who come here with their requests. Until the renovation process was completed, the Malta Community Chest Fund was offering its services from a building a few meters away, kindly provided free of charge by the Archdiocese of Malta for this purpose. The offices, which were inaugurated on Tuesday evening, have an entrance from Archbishop Street, Valletta, and are located in the part of the Palace between Strada Merkanti and Strada Rjali.
From here, patients and families will be able to speak directly with Malta Community Chest Fund officials, submit their applications for assistance, as well as receive support from professionals, including social workers.
The offices were inaugurated by H.E. Myriam Spiteri Debono, President of Malta, together with Prime Minister Robert Abela, Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna and the Deputy Leader of the Nationalist Party, Alex Perici Calascione, who was representing Opposition Leader Alex Borg.
President Myriam Spiteri Debono described these offices as the path from where people begin to find help, as this is the first place to turn for those who receive bad news of illnesses or social challenges that affect them and their families. The President thanked the leadership of the Malta Community Chest Fund, including Claire Micallef Pulè, who will be managing this office, as well as the officers and volunteers who assist in the operation of this office and in the operation of the MCCF in general.
Prime Minister Robert Abela stressed that in difficult times, the people have always found the Malta Community Chest Fund behind them together with the State. He explained that collective work means a State that takes such good care of itself. Dr Abela referred to the case of Sandro Vella, whom the Government and the Maltese people have just helped to receive treatment in Singapore, after Vella himself was also assisted by the Malta Community Chest Fund.
He said that united, the people show a strong spirit of solidarity. The Prime Minister explained that more than the building itself renovated in a suitable environment, the Malta Community Chest Fund accomplishes great good under the auspices of the Presidency. He thanked everyone who helps in just causes so that we can remain in solidarity with each other.
Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna thanked the President for continuing the tradition of solidarity of her predecessors, offering a place for those who are burdened to find comfort and hope with the help of society. He added that he appreciates the commitment to making this a place of “unity and affection without looking at faces but only looking at the heart of man and the need he has. May the Lord bless everything that is done here. May He bless the benefactors of the Community Chest Fund and our brothers and sisters who have particular needs and therefore have to come here. May the Lord give them comfort and blessing.”
Deputy Leader of the Nationalist Party Alex Perici Calascione praised the great work carried out by the Malta Community Chest Fund and said that “the assistance provided by the MCCF goes beyond money – because it gives a better quality of life to many people in need.” Alex Perici Calascione said that these new offices are not simply buildings, but are a space of hope, dignity and help. While he saluted the administration, volunteers and workers who contributed to the realization of this project, he appealed for the Maltese and Gozitans to be generous with the MCCF, on the day of L-istrina, on December 26.
This office opens on Mondays and Wednesdays, between 9am and noon.
Photos: DOI/OPR.
