SOSpesa – Neighbourhood solidarity networks for the recovery, distribution, and valorisation of food surplus

Abstract

This paper presents and discusses the redesign of a charity activity, implemented in a neighbourhood of the city of Milan, into an innovative service called 'SOSpesa'. By creating, activating and experimenting a network of local actors to achieve a solidarity aim against food poverty, SOSpesa also implements a strategy to fight food waste and support local shops. Acting on a neighbourhood scale, it leverages the local context as a strength of the service, exploiting the networks already existing in the specific context of NoLo, the ‘North of Loreto’ area of the city. The paper illustrates the initiative's ongoing transformation from charitable action to structured service, working carefully not to distort its spirit and bottom-up commitment, and with the intention to frame it into a replicability strategy.