The work and direct contact of the Malta Community Chest Fund (MCCF) with patients and individuals in need of assistance will once again be offered from its offices within the President’s Palace in Valletta.
This follows a three-year renovation project during which the offices were modernised and equipped with facilities that provide the necessary comfort and privacy for all those who seek assistance. While the renovation works were ongoing, the Malta Community Chest Fund operated from a nearby building, 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 section of the Palace between Merchants Street and Republic Street.
From these premises, patients and families will be able to speak directly with officials of the Malta Community Chest Fund, submit applications for assistance, and receive professional support, including services from social workers.
The offices were inaugurated by Her Excellency Myriam Spiteri Debono, President of Malta, together with Prime Minister Robert Abela, Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna, and 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 place where people begin to find help, as they represent the first point of contact for those who receive difficult news related to illness or social challenges affecting them and their families.
The President thanked the leadership of the Malta Community Chest Fund, including Claire Micallef Pulè, who will be leading this office, as well as the officials and volunteers who assist in the running of the office and the MCCF more broadly.
Prime Minister Robert Abela stressed that in difficult moments, the Maltese people have always found the Malta Community Chest Fund standing alongside the State. He said that collective effort reflects a State that truly takes care of its people. Dr Abela referred to the case of Sandro Vella, whom the Government and the Maltese people recently helped to receive medical treatment in Singapore, noting that Vella had also been assisted by the Malta Community Chest Fund. He said that unity demonstrates the strong spirit of solidarity within the population. The Prime Minister added that beyond the renovated building itself, the Malta Community Chest Fund continues to do immense good under the auspices of the Presidency, and he thanked everyone who contributes to just causes so that society may remain united and supportive of one another.
Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna thanked the President for continuing the tradition of solidarity upheld by her predecessors, by offering a place where those who are burdened can find comfort and hope through the support of society. He said he appreciates the commitment for this to be a place of “unity and care, without looking at faces but only at the human heart and the needs it carries.” He concluded by offering blessings for all the work carried out there, for the benefactors of the Community Chest Fund, and for those with particular needs who seek assistance, praying that they may find comfort and blessing.
Deputy Leader of the Nationalist Party Alex Perici Calascione praised the important work carried out by the Malta Community Chest Fund, stating that “the assistance provided by the MCCF goes beyond financial support, as it offers a better quality of life to many people in need.”
He added that these new offices are not merely a building, but a space of hope, dignity, and support. While acknowledging the administration, volunteers, and workers who contributed to the project, he appealed to the Maltese and Gozitan public to be generous towards the MCCF on L-Istrina Day, on 26 December.
The office is open on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 9:00am to 12:00 noon.
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