On February 4th, Casa Restaura-me, a project by Aliança de Misericórdia focused on the shelter and social reintegration of homeless people, received a donation of organic food from Horta da Cidade, located in the São Paulo City Council. The initiative is part of the Sampa+Rural program, which seeks to strengthen urban agriculture in the city of São Paulo and ensure that the food produced is destined for entities that serve vulnerable populations. It is currently administered by the Municipal Secretariat for Economic Development and Labor (SMDET), under the management of Rodrigo Goulart. 

The donation process began with the harvesting of produce directly from the Horta da Cidade. The food was then transported to Casa Restaura-me, located in the Brás neighborhood, and received by the employees of the social project and sent to the kitchen to prepare the daily meals of the people receiving assistance. 

The Horta da Cidade is a project with great social impact, located in an area of 2,100 m² in the City Hall and the model garden aims to produce healthy food, without pesticides, and to promote training in agroecology. 

“It is very important to support this initiative. In addition to the production that is being done, an urban garden in the middle of the city center, next to the City Hall, will produce 1 ton per month. In addition to the production, it will promote the qualification of people who can replicate models like this throughout the city. And much more, the production will go directly to entities like Aliança, a great partner that will take the products to those who really need it, the vulnerable people.”, explains Secretary Rodrigo Goulart.  

For Casa Restaura-me, this donation represents an important reinforcement in the nutritional quality of the meals served daily to more than 600 homeless people. The project, maintained by Aliança de Misericórdia, offers assistance to beneficiaries and, in addition to food and hygiene, psychosocial, medical and legal support, professional training courses and various activities are provided.  

RECOGNITION 

The service provided by Casa Restaura-me has been widely recognized by civil society and public authorities. In 2022, the initiative received the Human Rights and Diversity Seal, granted by the Municipal Secretariat for Human Rights and Citizenship of the City of São Paulo. Within the criteria of homeless population and transversality, two actions of Casa Restaura-me were awarded for their good inclusion practices: Financial Education Program, developed at Casa Restaura-me (SP), and the campaign “Donate Hope”. 

In 2023, Casa Restaura-me was honored with the “Silver Salve”, delivered at a Solemn Session held at the project itself. This honor is granted to institutions, social organizations, foundations or entities in recognition of services rendered to the city of São Paulo. 

In 2024, the Covenant of Mercy won a place in the Top 10 from the Social Actions category iBest Award, the largest award in Brazil aimed at recognizing the highlights of the internet in the country. The institution was selected for this exclusive group thanks to its commitment, dedication and significant impact through its social actions.