In July, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) released the Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025, the tenth in the series of reports tracking progress on the global Goals since their unveiling in 2015.
In it, UNSG Guterres noted that while some progress has been made in certain areas, “conflict, climate chaos, geopolitical tensions and economic shocks continue to obstruct progress at the pace and scale needed to meet the 2030 target.”
The report indicates that only 35% of the Goals are on track or making moderate progress, while about half are moving too slowly and 18% are in reverse.
As a result, Guterres stated that the world is facing a global development emergency, with over 800 million citizens stuck in extreme poverty and hunger, record high carbon dioxide levels, extreme heat (2024 was the hottest year on record), and over 120 million displaced from their homes due to security threats.
The status of Goals One and Two, No Poverty and Zero Hunger, are especially troubling ten years on from the Paris Agreement.
The report notes that extreme poverty remains high, affecting 808 million citizens (one in ten) in 2025, up from the prior estimate of 677 million. Further, absent significant interventions, 8.9% of the global population will still be living in extreme poverty in 2030 – far from the goal of eradication.
In terms of food security, the report states that global hunger has risen sharply since 2019 and remains persistently high, with roughly one in eleven citizens facing hunger in 2023 and over two billion experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity.
To many of us, these numbers can seem so big, and often so distant, that they feel intangible – with the result that we lose sight of the human element, the critical connection that would lead us to drive greater collective action.
I’ve written on this theme in prior posts (example here) suggesting that we strive to make hunger personal in order to overcome that disconnect and leave no one behind.
Indeed, UN DESA’s Under-Secretary-General Li Junhua noted that as the world enters the final five-year stretch before the 2030 due date, we must remember that “the true measure of our progress is not in global averages or aggregate statistics but rather in how we transform the lives of those who have been left further behind.”
Inspiring Frontline Lessons from Italy
The Sustainable Development Goals report notes that the “stubborn hunger trends underscore {the} urgent need for scalable, financed solutions.”
In my mind, in this time of callous cuts to programs for the most vulnerable, these trends also illustrate the need for commitment, compassion, connection, and a renewed focus on humanity, because, as I heard a priest effectively note recently, “humanity is not optional.”
And in our recent Organizational Dynamics class in Italy (Global Collaboration for Sustainability: The Food-Water-Energy Nexus in Italy), partnering with three stellar organizations engaged in critical food security work (and much more) – Food For Soul, Antoniano Bologna, and Banco Alimentare – we saw the power of commitment, compassion, and connection to help those in need, with a consistent through-line of solidarity, social inclusion, and humanity.
These organizations are on the front lines of food security and multiple social (and environmental) challenges; their human-centered work is inspiring and provides valuable lessons for other organizations and policymakers seeking to advance progress on SDG challenges. They were gracious in sharing with our class some of the details of their as noted below.
Food For Soul
Jill Conklin (Strategic Officer) and Eleonora Peia (Senior Project Manager) provided us with many insights into the workings of Food For Soul and its Refettorios around the world.
The organization was founded by Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore in 2016 in the wake of Expo Milano with a mission of turning food waste into an opportunity for inclusion and social change.
Food For Soul’s three guiding principles are noteworthy and indicative of the passion for its mission. They include:
- the power of beauty (and the idea that beauty can “inspire hope, restore dignity, and transform lives”),
- the value of hospitality (the idea that hospitality is “connection, care, and respect” and that Food For Soul’s programs can “foster welcoming environments where everyone feels seen, valued, and included”), and
- the quality of ideas (with a focus on innovation through collaboration, and the intention of creating “spaces and experiences that inspire learning, exchange and action” – in other words, creating the environment to drive meaningful change).
Food For Soul now operates 12 Refettorio sites around the world (7 more are planned) with a focus on rescuing food and restoring people. Refettorios are “cultural spaces for social inclusion and empowerment” where partnerships are formed to “transform surplus food into shared meals, welcoming vulnerable communities with dignity, beauty, and hospitality.”
Notably, they are places of inclusivity and sustainability.
Jill described the growth of the Refettorio model, noting that all of the sites learn from one another, while also citing the importance of local partnerships and volunteers. Further, she reminded us of the importance of bringing elements of social gastronomy and sustainable gastronomy together in their work.
Eleonora described how Refettorio Modena welcomes a community of vulnerable and fragile individuals with 200 volunteers focused on applying a sense of hospitality and fine dining to those they serve. As the website notes, “the Refettorios are places of beauty – architectural, artistic, and cultural – where we welcome the community’s most vulnerable members, often invisible individuals and families, and serve a free three-course meal at the table.”
The Refettorios bring together volunteer chefs and kitchen staff as well as private and public sector entities – in other words, they build community – uniting multiple stakeholders in the effort to feed those in need.
The value of inclusion is clear: “Eating together is an opportunity to spark something more precious: connections, friendships, ideas, culture, awareness.”
In addition, Food For Soul engages in social and environmental advocacy (awareness campaigns, education, experiential learning, etc.) to assist people in caring for the planet and humanity.
Antoniano Bologna
Our class was also fortunate to visit Antoniano in Bologna, where we had a powerful tour and conversation with Emanuela Pergolizzi and Elena Fiduccia.
Antoniano has deep roots, having been founded in 1954 by Father Ernesto Caroli to feed disadvantaged people while also providing other important services to those in need.
As Emanuela and Elena discussed, Antoniano is not just about feeding people, it is about training and social inclusion as well. As the website notes, “Antoniano is music, art, culture, theater, but above all, solidarity.”
The organization helps individuals who are hungry, homeless, or perhaps fleeing war or violence in their home countries (anyone in need) through a four-step process beginning with a meal, followed by listening, welcoming, and helping. Antoniano’s staff and numerous volunteers feed 250 individuals daily in its canteen while building relationships based on trust and understanding. A guiding belief is that “offering a meal is the first step on a journey that, starting with listening, leads to personal and social rebirth.”
On Monday nights, Antoniano’s kitchen is transformed into a “full-fledged restaurant with volunteer chefs and table service,” providing families with the opportunity to eat together in a secure, dignified environment while staff can get to know them and assist with recovery plans for a path forward. Again, solidarity and inclusion are fundamental.
Antoniano has a large cinema (currently in renovation), a music program for children, and drama and ballet programs to help individuals personally thrive. Numerous courses (ex. language training, painting) are offered throughout the year for skills development and personal enrichment. Individuals can obtain legal guidance and help with important documents, while families can obtain assistance with groceries. There is even a housing service assisting 90 individuals annually.
A poignant moment in our visit involved discussion of a highly visible “foosball” table in a side room. Our hosts described how this table provides the opportunity for those facing hardships (such as assimilation and language challenges) to engage with others in a fun activity and gain a sense of belonging. It is a simple and beautiful concept, enabling individuals to connect over the sheer joy of playing a game, effectively generating a feeling of inclusion. I went back to Antoniano a few days after our class visit and saw the table in action and was instantly touched by the human element at play.
Supported by hundreds of committed volunteers, Antoniano never closes. And while everything starts with a meal, the breadth of services provided, grounded in inclusion and solidarity, makes it truly special.
Banco Alimentare
Last, we visited Banco Alimentare in Milan, where Greta Caglioti and Marcello Cosentino provided us with excellent frontline insight into the critical work of the organization both across Italy and within the Lombardy region.
Banco Alimentare has a long history, having been founded in 1989 with a goal of reducing food waste and helping people in need. Today it is the largest organization in Italy working to address food security – recovering food and serving every region across the country through 21 regional food bank organizations, over 7,600 territorial partner organizations, and more than 2,000 permanent volunteers. Their website leads with a simple yet powerful statement: Every day we collect food for those who need it most.
Appropriately, Banco Alimentare speaks of “sharing the value of food” and notes that “since 1989, we have been giving new value to food, fighting waste, serving people and the planet.” Their impact is impressive – in 2024, Banco Alimentare recovered over 93,000 tons of food from all segments of the agri-food supply chain and served 1.75 million people.
Banco Alimentare’s mission is to “help alleviate the problems of hunger, marginalization, and poverty, as well as promoting the fight against food waste for social purposes” in collaboration with national and European institutions.
And there are clear parallels between Banco Alimentare’s core values (gift of action, sharing needs, solidarity, fighting food waste, and trust) and those of Food For Soul and Antoniano.
Partnerships are key, and Banco Alimentare effectively galvanizes volunteers, food organizations, and donors to help others. Their National Food Drive Initiative engages hundreds of thousands of citizens to donate a portion of their grocery purchases to those in need, resulting in the collection of 7,900 tons of food in 2024 with the participation of over 5 million Italians (significantly, it was described as a gesture of solidarity that unites Italy).
Greta and Marcello made the connection between food waste and hunger, noting that more than 5 million tons of surplus food are wasted each year in Italy while 5.7 million citizens are experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity, and they discussed the comprehensive nature of Banco Alimentare’s programs with a focus on commitment, solidarity, and social inclusion.
They also provided compelling regional perspective, noting that 820,000 people in the Lombardy region (8.2% of the population) live in poverty, while one in four in Milan are in need of food assistance.
On average, Banco Alimentare provides a meal to 113,000 individuals in the Lombardy region each day. The lean Hub from which Greta and Marcello operate illustrates a culture of complete commitment to the mission of feeding people in need, and their impact is made possible largely by the passion and dedication of their volunteers. The Lombardy team also leads a program to educate youth on the importance of reducing food waste.
As with Food For Soul and Antoniano, the themes of social inclusion and solidarity go hand in hand with providing meals for hungry people.
Opportunity, Obligation, and Renewed Focus
Returning to the recent Sustainable Development Goals report, UNSG Guterres reminded us that we have “not only the opportunity but the obligation” to evaluate the state of progress on the Goals, acknowledge the shortfalls, and take urgent, responsible action to address them.
And there is no better place to start than with SDG 1 and SDG 2, leveraging the power of food resources.
With five years to go, truly advancing progress on poverty and food security undoubtedly requires large-scale investment and unprecedented collaboration between countries (what UN DESA’s Li Junhua refers to as “urgent multilateralism”).
It also requires building on what we see in the work of Food For Soul, Antoniano, and Banco Alimentare – commitment, compassion, connection, solidarity, social inclusion, and ultimately, a renewed focus on humanity.
Because humanity is not optional.
Seeing these organizations working on the front lines of food security provides us with inspirational perspective to lead transformative change, starting with food, elevated by a core focus on solidarity, inclusion, and humanity.
Food For Soul puts it well: “Food has a value that goes beyond nourishment: it is a tool for creating connection, restoring dignity, and building stronger communities.” Further, at the Refettorios, “food becomes a vehicle for change, capable of uniting people and challenging inequality.”
Antoniano adds that “We start with a meal to help those experiencing hardship recover, get back to life, and hope for a better future.”
These three organizations are working to transform the lives of those left behind.
With five years to go on the SDGs, let’s learn from them.
As Food for Soul notes: “Together, we can build a more sustainable and inclusive future, one meal at a time.”
food for thoughtful action 