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Rubicon Programs empowers people to move out of poverty and improve the quality of their lives. Our blog is one way you can learn about the work we're doing, the clients we serve, projects we work on and our success in changing our community one person at a time. Learn more about our programs. Buy from our businesses. And support us by donating today.

The Rubicon Bloggers are selected Rubicon employees who have unique perspectives into the worlds of poverty, unemployment, homelessness, life with mental disabilities, and HIV/AIDS. And most importantly they are part of Rubicon's integrated solutions to these profound social problems.

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Friday, September 28, 2007

More about San Patrignano


The more we see, the more we realize how amazing this place is. In addition to hosting Italy’s leading food festival, Squisito, which this year is highlighting social programs that use food to address inequity (thus Rubicon’s presence), the San Patrignano community runs multiple high quality businesses:

  • There is a dairy farm on premises which make several award winning cheeses
  • There is a carpentry business that manufactures high end cabinets primarily used to outfit yachts
  • There is a winery which produces numerous varietals that are shipped internationally
  • There is wrought iron foundry which creates both sculptural and architectural products
  • There is a horse breeding farm which raises and trains horses for international horse jumping competitions. Last year their team won a world championship. There is an enormous jumping course on the campus that is the site of a major annual competition
  • There is the leading private hospital for the whole district which specializes in HIV/AIDS services. Originally created for the residents who were former IV drug users who became diagnosed in the 1980’s in the early days of the epidemic, it has become the treatment center of choice for the community at large because of the high quality of care
  • All the energy for the entire community is created at the co-generation plant which runs on the methane created by the farms and waste water treatment plan.
All of this is done by a non governmental organization supported by its own businesses and donations with no government support at all!

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