ROME: The UAE has been praised for donating hundreds of winter clothes and a substantial sum of money for people hard hit by COVID-19 in the Italian city of Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis. The donation took place during an official ceremony at the local city hall, where the mayor met the UAE’s deputy ambassador to Italy, and also at the “solidarity store” run by the Catholic relief organization Caritas and the city’s social services, where a soup kitchen is organized daily for poor people living in the area. Assisi Mayor Stefania Proietti, local councilor for social services Massimo Paggi, and President of the Assisi Caritas Foundation Fr. Cesare Provenzi received the gifts brought by Deputy Ambassador Ahmad Al-Mulla. The donation “confirms the strong bond of friendship that has existed for ages between our city” and the UAE, said Proietti. In June, the UAE’s Ambassador to Italy Omar Obaid Al-Shamsi made to the Assisi City Council a substantial donation to local needy families whose conditions had worsened due to COVID-19, which has severely hit Umbria, the region where Assisi lies. In November 2019, on the occasion of the Day of Tolerance, Al-Shamsi made a donation to the solidarity store to assist 500 local families in difficulty. This time, in the week before Christmas, 200 sweaters, 200 trousers, 200 jackets, 100 blankets, 200 hats and 100 children’s gloves were donated. “We couldn’t be more grateful for this new act of concrete solidarity by the UAE, carried out through its embassy in Italy toward the citizens of Assisi, especially those who are most in need,” said Proietti. “This warms our heart. We couldn’t be more grateful for this sign of fraternity between our peoples.”