Mangia Minnesota is a transatlantic fundraising initiative rooted in shared history. It began when Norma Sciarra, a school administrator in South Minneapolis, contacted the Calascio (AQ) ancestral network, to raise awareness of a crisis in her community, the fallout from a critical decline in school attendance, from 1,100 students to 300.
“Chi si fa pecorella, i lupi la mangiano”.
Make yourself a sheep and the wolves will eat you.
Her call was answered in Abruzzo by members of the Life in Abruzzo Cultural Association, John Bachman, a Minnesotan, and his wife, Christine Yocca who live in Pineto. For them, the connection is deeply personal: Christine’s grandparents left Calascio in the early 1900s to settle in Pennsylvania. Remembering the hardship and discrimination their own ancestors faced, they have stepped forward to support Minnesota families today.
Why Support is Needed
Absence through threat is causing:
- Fear and Isolation: Many parents keep their children home due to concerns about mistreatment or wrongful detention during school drop-off and pick-up
- Economic Strain: This fear has prevented parents from working, resulting in food insecurity.
- Rising Costs: Families already face high food costs, which increase further when children remain home due to school closures.
- Local Impact and Fallout: These families are essential to the community, working for local farms and major employers such as Walmart. Their absence is contributing to labour shortages and higher prices.The network’s goal is straightforward: to provide food and warmth to children in need during extreme weather.
How You Can Help
We invite you to support this community effort by participating in these ancestral traditions:
Host a Polenta Party
Be inspired by the Abruzzese tradition of sharing food and community meals, organise a gathering to raise funds and foster community. For each party, notify us and we will promote them on our map at the bottom of the page so that everyone has the chance to go to one and taste and experience polenta the Abruzzo way. Donations can be added securely here >
© Olio di Penne
Donate a Silent Auction Prize
We welcome businesses to contribute prizes for our online silent auction. Examples include pasta-making lessons, restaurant gift certificates, wine tastings, or digital services such as career coaching. Please use the online form to contribute.
Bid on a Silent Auction Item
- A pasta making class for 2 in Pineto (TE) with Nonno Giovanni, aka John Bachman
- A 4-Course Lunch for 2 in Castel Castagne’s (TE) family run restaurant, donated by Abruzzo Sister Tours
A Lunch Cooked for 2 by Private Chef, donated by La Rocca Catering.
The auction closes on the 8th March 226
PLACE YOUR BID >
or
DONATE > & KEEP KIDS FED AND WARM
Polenta Party Listings – Where to Eat
Saturday 28th February, cooked by John Bachman
- Menu – Polenta with meat sauce and vegetarian sauce, cacio e ova, pizza dolce, wine, digestifs, coffee.
- Donation – 30 euros per head
- Number of Seats available – 8
- How to Book, WhatsApp John to reserve your place, your booking will be accepted after you donation payment.
FUNDS WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO AN EXISTING TRUSTED ESTABLISHED COMMUNITY NETWORK
Author: Sam Dunham
Sam is a freelance SEO content creator and IGCSE Geography and English teacher at Istituto Cristo Re in Rome. She also runs the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, sharing stories and insights about this captivating region.
Alongside raising a teenager, Sam hosts guests at her family’s traditional home, the Little House of the Firefly in Abruzzo, offering a warm welcome and insider tips on local culture, food, and hidden gems.
