Francesco Hypermarket: Where Everything Is Free for the Poor

Small centers, rooms at Caritas offices, emporiums: the solidarity network, always generous, had never crossed the mountain of large dimensions. And now this record has been reached with the project carried out in Mestre, the first with these characteristics in Italy: a gigantic hypermarket, named after Pope Francis, with a total surface area of ​​3,600 square meters, of which 700 are used for storage.

POPE FRANCIS HYPERMARKET

The things in this extraordinary initiative from philosophy Don't waste They were truly built on a grand scale. The entire center took just three years to build, from the moment the project was approved. The costs stayed within the budget of three million euros, and this figure was reached thanks to the contributions of thousands of local citizens and the local action of the Carpinetum Foundation and Il Prossimo associationThis Foundation, in particular, is considered a guarantee of the quality of solidarity interventions: it was founded in 2006 to offer help for people in difficulty, regardless of faith and citizenship, and has since managed to create six self-sufficient senior housing centers but poorThen came the challenge of the Centro di Solidarietà Cristiana hypermarket named after Pope Francis.

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How the Hypermarket for the Poor Works in Mestre

How does the hypermarket for the poor in Mestre work? three areas dedicated to different categories merchandise: clothing 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 CAN SHOP AT THE POPE FRANCIS HYPERMARKET?

Who are the customers of the Mestre hypermarket? The poor, obviously, but also someone who finds himself in a moment of temporary difficulty"Our goal is to help everyone, through the generous work of our volunteers. With concrete support, but also with the hope of helping people not lose hope of a job, a home, a better life," he explains. Don Gianni Antoniazzi, president of the Carpinetum Foundation.

Only the food section is reserved for families referred by parishes and social centers. For the rest, the hypermarket doors are closed. open to allAnd everyone, when possible, is asked to make a small contribution, even just €1, to contribute, even symbolically, to the expenses of the facility, where three permanent employees work. After the Mestre hypermarket, the Carpinetum Foundation is already thinking about the next steps: a clinic and an after-school program. Best wishes!

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