Pope Francis Hypermarket: Where the Poor Shop for Free

In Mestre, a 3.600-square-meter space stocked with everything for families in need, from food to household items to furniture. Anyone who can can leave a donation.

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A veritable hypermarket, enormous in scale, spanning 3.600 square meters (700 of which are dedicated to warehouse storage), in Mestre, named after Pope Francis. It boasts a unique feature in Italy: it allows needy families who cannot afford such purchases to shop here (in the afternoons from Monday to Friday), offering everything from food to furniture, from soap to baby items.

The facility is managed by the Il Prossimo ODV Association in collaboration with the Carpinetum Foundation, and now employs around 150 volunteers, considering that the Papa Francesco hypermarket welcomes over 1.000 people every day who come to shop free of charge. Only those who can leave a donation.

All the products come from supermarkets and hypermarkets that store their surpluses here, or from businesses and private individuals. And it was the citizens of Veneto who, with donations of up to €50, ensured the necessary budget was reached to complete the hypermarket's renovations in just three years.

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How does the hypermarket for the poor in Mestre work? three areas dedicated to different categories merchandise: abbigliamento masculine and feminine, furniture and furnishings for the House, foodThe products that are offered all come from donations and free recoveriesClothes, for example, come from individual families who empty their closets when it's time to change their wardrobe, or from large retailers like Coin, who make donations. Furniture is also donated when there are homes, hotels, and restaurants that need renovation. As for food, the Mestre hypermarket has an agreement with the Food bank for the recovery of surpluses that would otherwise end up in large warehouses destined for the disposal chain. Damaged packaging, products close to their expiration date, and food left by customers through the recycling mechanism spending suspended.

Who are the customers of the Mestre hypermarket? The poor, of course, but also those experiencing temporary hardship , families and singles referred by Social Services, Caritas, and parishes. "Our goal is to help everyone, through the generous work of our volunteers. With concrete support, but also with the hope of helping people maintain hope for a job, a home, a better life," explains Andrea Groppo , president of the Carpinetum Foundation.

Only the food section is reserved for families referred by parishes and community centers. Otherwise, the hypermarket's doors are open to everyone . And everyone, when possible, is asked to make a small contribution, even as little as €1, to contribute, even symbolically, to the expenses of the facility, which employs three permanent staff.

For information, and above all for possible donations, you can contact the Il Prossimo association at this number: 041 4584410.

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