Hellas Verona Foundation | A new journey begins with Caritas Diocesana Veronese towards the ‘Casa Insieme a Voi’

Verona – A new and ambitious project inspired by inclusion, hope, and solidarity, once again aiming to involve the entire Verona community.

The new initiative that Hellas Verona Foundation, proudly together with the entire Gialloblù Club, will support throughout this sports season was presented this morning at the Bentegodi Stadium in Verona, shortly before the match against Inter. From today, HV Foundation has decided to embark on a new journey and embrace a project with Caritas Diocesana Veronese, an organization that has been committed for years to providing hospitality and support to numerous families in need.

As explained during the presentation by Don Matteo Malosto, Director of Caritas Diocesana Veronese, and Irene Toniolo, Head of Youth Volunteering of Caritas Diocesana Veronese, the goal that Hellas Verona and Caritas have set for the coming months is to restore a space in Lungadige Matteotti to create a new shelter home that will host 10 young women in difficulty — victims of violence, illness, or homelessness, precarious workers, and students living in poverty.

Once completed, this space will reopen its doors to these young women and will be inaugurated with a name both symbolic and deeply meaningful: CASA INSIEME A VOI, to remind everyone that this project will be possible thanks to the efforts of many people who worked TOGETHER and brought it to life through the contribution of everyone — starting with the Gialloblù supporters and beyond.

To make the house operational, renovation, furnishing, and setup of the cohousing spaces will be necessary. Caritas will provide ongoing educational and social support for the residents through a dedicated team.

It will be another long, intense, and passionate journey to share all together.

15% of the 3,778 families who turned to Caritas Diocesana Veronese in 2024 are in a housing emergency. Over the past two years, requests for accommodation have grown significantly due to rising rents, precarious employment, and the increase in cases of gender-based violence within the local community.

Since its inauguration in 2022, Hellas Verona Foundation has completed several solidarity projects and continues today to help and support many associations operating in Verona and its province.

Furthermore, on this special day, the shirts worn by the players during Hellas Verona–Inter will feature inside the collar a dedicated patch depicting the logo of “Casa Insieme a Voi”, and will go up for auction on MatchWornShirt. The proceeds will be entirely donated to Caritas Verona, and to the two-year project conceived together with Hellas Verona Foundation.

For those who would like to learn more about all the projects carried out so far and still ongoing, it is possible to visit the page of the HELLAS VERONA FOUNDATION website.

These were the words of Mons. Domenico Pompili, Bishop and President of Caritas Diocesana Veronese, who spoke during the presentation of the initiative: “In these times of recurring femicides, including the most recent one right here in Verona, being able to imagine a welcoming home for fragile and exposed women is a sign of hope for which we thank an organization like Hellas Verona Foundation that has chosen to invest in this form of attention to women’s issues.”

Following the words of Mons. Pompili came those of Italo Zanzi, Executive President of Hellas Verona: “First of all, I would like to thank the Bishop and the entire Caritas team for their valuable support and collaboration. As I have had the opportunity to say several times, in football the attention is often focused on the pitch, but in reality the most important thing we can do is to be close to the people of our city. For us, this represents a great honor. I would also like to thank those who work every day for the Foundation: for many years, thanks to the commitment and dedication of Simona Gioè, Antonella Benedetti and now Dirk Swaneveld, we have carried forward a journey that is truly a work of heart and teamwork. I would like to conclude with a reflection: in this initiative there is us as Hellas Verona, there is Caritas, and a united and passionate working group, but above all there is the entire city and our fans. This is a great opportunity to truly do something special, and to offer concrete help to those who need it most.”

During the conference, Dirk Swaneveld, President of Hellas Verona Foundation, also spoke: “As President of Hellas Verona Foundation, I am deeply proud to be part of this initiative, which will create a space dedicated to welcoming women who need dignity, safety, and the hope of a new beginning. We chose to call it Casa Insieme a Voi: a home that we will build together, thanks to the collaboration between Caritas Verona, Hellas Verona, and, above all, with the support of our fans and the entire Veronese community. It is an honor for me to represent the Foundation in this journey, which through concrete projects will continue to unite the community in the spirit of sport, solidarity, and our roots.”

Closing the series of speeches was Simona Gioè, CFO of Hellas Verona and board member of HV Foundation: “For us, as Hellas Verona and Hellas Verona Foundation, taking part in initiatives like this is of fundamental importance. Our presence today, November 2, also carries a strong symbolic meaning, as we find ourselves in the month dedicated to raising awareness against violence towards women — a cause that is particularly close to our hearts. Since 2022, the Foundation has been actively committed to supporting women victims of violence through various concrete actions. The project we are presenting today therefore represents just one of the many tangible tools through which the Foundation intends to strengthen its commitment. It is a clear sign of our determination to promote prevention, awareness, and education on an issue that, unfortunately, still affects far too many women.”