Cardiff restaurant owner Giovanni Malacrino is giving away pizza and pasta to the most vulnerable people hit by the Coronavirus.
Giovanni, who runs three Italian restaurants in Cardiff, is asking people to get in touch if they are or if they know of anyone who would benefit from a free meal being delivered over the next few weeks.
The businessman is also reducing the price of his delivery dishes and helping people to create meals at home.
Giovanni’s Cardiff Bay restaurant is doing deliveries, and the 59-year-old said he wanted to help NHS workers, the elderly and anyone else who is in need.
He said: “It’s about making sure people at home are eating well and staying healthy.
“Whether you’re a team of nurses or you know of someone vulnerable on your street, if you get in touch, we’ll do our best to get food out to them.
“At the moment, we can donate around 500 meals over the next few weeks, like a pasta dish or a pizza, for people to heat up at home or in their workplace.
“We’ll do our best to provide as much as we can, depending on our suppliers.”
Giovanni has seen some of his stock increase in price, with a hike on pasta since shoppers began stockpiling, and some orders haven’t reached his restaurants due to them being in quarantine.
But he’s determined not to pass on the cost to customers, and alongside free meals, has launched a ‘family price’ delivery menu next week to help those dealing with uncertain times.
Deliveries are currently available every day and customers can order from a cut-price menu on the restaurants’ website starting at £4.99, alongside ingredients to cook at home, like pizza dough, flour, yeast and potatoes.
Giovanni is also busy putting recipes online for people to make their own dishes like pasta and gnocchi.
If you are or know of anyone vulnerable in Cardiff who needs food and is unable to pay, send a Facebook message to Giovanni’s Restaurant Cardiff, here.
