Door of donated ambulance with the message “Con il contributo del Centro Tara Cittamani” (“With the contribution of Tara Cittamani Center”) outside of Palazzo Moroni, Comune di Padova (city hall) during the press conference, Padova, Italy, December 2020. Photo by Marco Parolin.

Centro Tara Cittamani, the FPMT center in Padova, Italy, completed several community service projects in 2020.  Community service is one of FPMT’s Five Pillars of Service. Marco Parolin, center director, and Teresa Fabris, spiritual program coordinator, share the story.

Our center, established in 1994, is located in the northeastern part of Italy. Despite the fact that people in this area have a strong connection with the Catholic Church (or maybe because of it), many attend our weekend Dharma teachings and meditation classes. We can count on a membership of 300 to 400 people every year, and with a little help from activities like yoga classes, we manage to keep our financial resources in a good balance.

Father Marco Putin and Marco Parolin at the monastery next to Santuario di San Leopoldo Mandic (Saint Leopoldo Mandic Sanctuary), Padova, Italy, October 2020. Photo by Teresa Fabbris.

Things have been a little easier in the past few years, thanks to the fact that by law Italians donate eight percent of their annual income tax return to a church of their choice or the government’s social assistance programs. As of a few years ago people can donate to Buddhists through the Italian Buddhist Union. The association ensures each Buddhist center’s status.

Our center can submit projects to the Italian Buddhist Union. Once approved, our center can receive up to seventy percent of the budget. In 2018, the first year we were able to receive money, we renovated the center. We now have a Dharma library with a rich collection of 800 books in Italian, English, and French on the various Buddhist traditions. We also organized a room with a projector and wide screen so we can watch Dharma events and teachings from other centers.

In 2019, our board of directors decided we had to use the money we receive to give back to our local community. We got in touch with the Padova municipality social services department, who included us in a new project. The municipality has a few apartments for homeless people and people with vulnerabilities. Our task was to go into every apartment and propose cooking classes. In addition to offering seasonal, healthy, vegetarian meal preparation classes, we were also asked to share some useful tools for daily living, including hygiene, tidiness, and a taste for healthy food.

The social services department staff and residents were a little worried about our true intentions—proselytism is always a concern—but the meetings were arranged in the presence of a representative from the social services department.

Donated blast chiller, Santuario di San Leopoldo Mandic (Saint Leopoldo Mandic Sanctuary), Padova, Italy, October 2020. Photo by Teresa Fabbris.

Volunteers brought presents each time they visited the apartments—a few tools to help in the kitchen such as pans or a blender—and enough groceries to prepare the meal twice.

After the second visit, Marco wrote, “This evening we prepared a mushroom soup, chickpea and radish balls, cauliflower humus with olives, and a chocolate cake. Eight people crowded into a tiny kitchen, looking for knives and pans that simply weren’t there. After cooking the meal, we managed to sit down and eat all together. Everyone had something to tell or share. When we left we didn’t know what to say or think. Now back at home I don’t know what to write, but it would be wonderful if every sentient being could have happiness.” We were able to offer five classes before the pandemic made us stop for now.

In 2020, we decided to help a local Catholic monastery of Capuchin monks located next to Santuario di San Leopoldo Mandic. We have been in touch with them for a few years now. They have been preparing meals for homeless people every day since the end of World War II. We help them by collecting food for their kitchen. People who visit our center can leave food items in the shopping cart we keep at the entrance to our center. Every week or so, a volunteer brings the food to the monastery. This project requires minimal effort on our part but is very effective.

In 2020, legislation required the monastery to upgrade their kitchen. We organized a project to help the monks buy some new appliances—an industrial blast chiller, a burner, and three floor washers. The monks haven’t been able to reopen the dining hall due to the COVID pandemic, but they keep distributing shopping bags full of food. We continue to help them collect food.

Donated ambulance outside of Palazzo Moroni, Comune di Padova (city hall) during the press conference, Padova, Italy, December 2020. Photo by Marco Parolin.

In March 2020, the Italian Buddhist Union bestowed funds to support every center during this recession. Since we had enough to cover our expenses, we decided we could do something to help our community to cope with the healthcare emergency.

We chose to help the local Red Cross buy an ambulance. With €20,000 (US$23,860) we were able to buy the vehicle. The Red Cross then arranged to use the vehicle to help people with the coronavirus. The ambulance has a sophisticated intensive care system onboard. This allows the Red Cross to transport patients in critical condition over long distances.

These days you can see the ambulance around the streets in Padova, with the message “Con il contributo del Centro Tara Cittamani” (“With the contribution of Tara Cittamani Center”) painted on the side. We hope that the words “Tara Cittamani” will help protect the people who need the ambulance from fear and despair.

Watch the one and a half minute video “Padova, due preziosi regali di Natale per la Croce Rossa” (“Padua, two precious Christmas gifts for the Red Cross”) published by news agency RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana, the national public broadcasting company of Italy, on December 14, 2020:
https://www.rainews.it/tgr/veneto/video/2020/12/ven-Emergenza-sanitaria-Padova-Ambulanze-nuove-donate-alla-Croce-Rossa-6099f05e-3aa4-46f8-a074-cdb0176c116e.html

We used the remaining €10,000 (US$11,928) to help the local city hospital buy diagnostic kits and screening tests for healthcare workers.

We also use the shopping cart at the entrance to our center to collect food and blankets for animals in need. We periodically bring these donations to local nonprofit animal shelters. We are also preparing to help an animal shelter near Padova with needed renovations. The animal shelter wants to improve their shelters for dogs and cats to better protect them from the cold and extreme heat.

To learn more about Centro Tara Cittamani, visit their website:
http://www.taracittamani.it/

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