The world of Italian wine is... Solidarity. The Gambero Rosso Foundation and over 50 Italian wineries join forces with Doctors Without Borders (MSF)

WINE... FEED YOUR SOUL DECEMBER 4, 2023 - 2:00 PM

In a world where dozens of war zones are ablaze, natural disasters and humanitarian crises are a daily occurrence, MSF has been ensuring immediate interventions since 1971 in every emergency situation to alleviate the tragedies faced by affected populations. Thirteen doctors and journalists, involved in the Biafra famine in Nigeria, decided to establish a medical and humanitarian relief organisation. This organisation aimed to deliver medicine and humanitarian aid to anyone in need, without geographical, political, gender, race, or religious barriers.

MSF - Médecins Sans Frontières

Starting with a small group of volunteers, just 300 initially, the organisation has grown over the years and earned an extraordinary international reputation for the thousands of interventions it has carried out worldwide. MSF ensures access to medicine for those without means, intervenes when conflicts render local healthcare facilities unusable, addresses humanitarian crises, responds to natural disasters, epidemics, and war scenarios. From AIDS to Ebola, mass migration in Central America to the emergency in Ethiopia and Tigray, from devastating floods in Southern Africa affecting Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, to the Lake Chad crisis. It furthermore deals with hundreds of emergencies every year on every continent, involving millions of innocent and defenseless people, many of whom are children. Not to mention war scenarios. In 1999, MSF was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In 2022 alone, over 68,000 people worked for MSF worldwide. A visit to the international website (www.msf.org) illustrates the organisation's global reach, with brances in 24 countries. Last year, MSF managed a budget of hundreds of millions of euros, enabling them to assist over 16 million patients, treat 4,268,600 cases of malaria, administer 4,124,700 measles vaccinations, perform 1,422,600 emergency procedures, admit 1,214,100 patients, aid 474,100 families with essential goods, and conduct 118,100 complex surgical surgeries, among other activities.

Crucially, MSF's financial resources come from widespread global fundraising efforts, with 97% of income covered by private donors and foundations, 2% from various activities, and only 1% from institutional sources. While 2021 ended with operational reserves of 169 million euros, by the end of 2022, there was a surplus of just 67 million euros, barely enough to cover less than eight months of work, and this was before the Hamas-Israel conflict escalated. The situation is in a state of serious emergency, prompting MSF to seek assistance. It's worth noting that 80% of the funds raised worldwide go to support MSF's activities, 15% are invested in fundraising activities, and only 5% support the association's complex international mechanism. In 2022, over seven million private donors worldwide made MSF's work possible, but resources are rapidly depleting.

"The Emergency Fund is strategic," says Laura Perrotta, Fundraising Director of MSF Italy, with offices in Rome and Milan. "It allows us to intervene within 24 hours anywhere in the world, from war to epidemics, in situations where time makes a difference in terms of human lives. There's a part of personnel and logistics preparation, involving specialised individuals and materials. The staff must be prepared according to the intervention. The Fund is essential for immediate liquidity to deliver the first aid within 24 hours. For example, in Ukraine, we were already present, but when the conflict broke out, we updated the staff, from surgeons to emergency equipment. The same applies to natural disasters, such as the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria last February 6th. We have high expectations for this auction!"

Gambero Rosso for Médecins Sans Frontières

"The Gambero Rosso Foundation is a recognised entity with full statutory and managerial autonomy, operating non-profitably in sectors of social and scientific utility for the benefit of the community," says Carlo Spallanzani, CEO of Gambero Rosso. "Over the years, we have carried out a series of actions to protect Made in Italy and material culture, and we care about environmental respect, biodiversity, quality of life, sustainability, and gender equality. We have activated a network of cultural, scientific, institutional, territorial, and economic relationships to make the Foundation a tool for in-depth, incentive, and rationalisation of research activities for quality production and hospitality and to facilitate contacts between entities, associations, and companies that promote the same purposes. And we also operate on a humanitarian level. Among our most recent initiatives is collaboration with AMREF to raise funds for Africa, historical collaboration with the Community of Sant'Egidio for the Wine for Life project and a training program for inmates at Regina Coeli, the project on the correct cutting, handling, and administration of infant food with ANDID (National Federation of Health Professions) and the Ministry of Health, and the scholarships in our Academies for young Ukrainian refugees, or the recent charity auction for Operation Smile Italy ETS, of which we are a partner, last March, which, with an auction of fine wines and a gala dinner, raised significant funds to give a smile to many children born with facial malformations waiting for treatment. So it is natural for us to support Doctors Without Borders, especially if it concerns their Emergency Fund, which ensures timely interventions in the event of a humanitarian crisis. Once again, we have relied on the world of Italian wine, which has always been sensitive to ethical, humanitarian, and social issues and has demonstrated extraordinary generosity over the years. To the point that every year, in our Vini d'Italia guide with the Solidarity Project Award, we highlight the company - among the excellent ones - that has distinguished itself the most in this sector. And the response has been immediate and overwhelming, as we hoped. Over fifty wineries will auction their grandest bottles or memorable experiences - stays, tastings, guided tours - actually immersed in the most suggestive territories of Italian wine. And we ask our readers, our followers, and all those who love Italian wine for a great act of generosity, which will be rewarded with exciting moments."

The auction on the 4th of December

There are many items up for auction, over 50, says Marco Sabellico, journalist, curator of the Vini d'Italia Guide, who volunteered to "conduct the auction" and stream the items live. They are all fascinating, ranging from visits to the cellar and vineyards with a guided tasting of the finest wines, to actual tasting verticals of great vintages of prestigious labels. Some wineries will host the winning bidders in their relais for a more complete experience; others, equipped with restaurants, have also planned gastronomic itineraries beyond the overnight stays. And those who want to enrich their cellar there’s plenty of choice, from tastings by the bottle to large formats; just choose your favourite regions and denominations. And if you prefer a group outing to a couple's weekend, you'll find that too. It's nice to share an "experiential" and solidarity journey with friends. Good wines to drink but also "to think," as Lévy-Strauss would say, because these wineries not only focus on producing excellent wines, but also demonstrate a sensitivity to humanitarian issues that’s not taken for granted. So, from Chianti Classico to Langhe, from Colli Orientali to Sicily, from Lazio to Marche to the Amalfi Coast, choose your taste itinerary. It will be even more satisfying because you will have the awareness of doing something for others. Especially for someone in desperate situations, risking their life.

To participate in the auction:

 https://www.6enough.bid/winefeedyoursoul

The partner: 6enough

To realize such a complex event, requires a structure with specific know-how. "The auction house 6enough (www.6enough.bid) is the world's only social market dedicated to celebrities, third-sector entities, and large companies who want to use the potential of live streaming auctions on the Web for promotional and marketing activities through charitable initiatives," says Luigi Bitonto, its creator. "In three years, we have organised a series of highly successful events. We have been active since 2020, in the midst of the Covid emergency when we first launched this new format in the fundraising world with an auction for the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo; exceptional godmother of the event was Olympic gold medalist Federica Pellegrini accompanied by comedian Frank Matano as the showman-auctioneer: three hours of pure entertainment! And since then, we have conducted 25 hours of live streaming, raising over 300,000 euros. According to NGOs, it seems to be the highest amount raised in Italy for online charity. We raise funds for humanitarian causes thanks to the generosity of celebrities and businesses, which have a great return in terms of visibility; not to mention that they add ethical content to their image. In short, a formula that works, where everyone "gains" something. And with WINE. FEED YOUR SOUL - thanks to the richness of the offer and the involvement of Gambero Rosso and the world of Italian wine - I am sure that we will break our records. MSF and the world need it. Don't worry, you "are enough" to make a difference. 6enough!!!

Recent Campaigns

Battiti Azzurri – October 30, 2023

60 past and present Olympic champions auctioned iconic memorabilia from their careers in support of the Sant'Egidio Community, under the patronage of CONI, Italian national Olympic commission.

Chef Senza Confini – June 20, 2022

63 chefs and prestigious accommodations for Doctors Without Borders

Stars4Children – February 22, 2021

31 Michelin-starred chefs with their special menus for Save The Children

Federica Pellegrini, Frank Matano – April 14, 2020

Her sports memorabilia for the Papa Giovanni XXIII Hospital in Bergamo

To participate in the auction:

 https://www.6enough.bid/winefeedyoursoul