An anonymous benefactor, a man of around 60 years old from the province of Bergamo, made a gesture of solidarity that surprised the web. In Milan, in fact, it has donated a panettone to each of the homeless people camped near the Duomoin the Vittorio Emanuele Gallery.
His act, which occurred at dawn on December 8, was done in absolute anonymitysince the man wanted to avoid any misunderstanding about his gesture. In an interview with Corriere della Sera explained:
I don’t want to be misunderstood, that those who know me might think of my gesture as a way to advertise myself.
The benefactor said that He has been frequenting Milan for years during the Christmas period, in particular on December 8th, to admire the Christmas tree in Piazza Duomo. Each time, his gaze focused on the homeless people he met along the way from Corso Buenos Aires to the Duomo.
“I was just giving alms”, he confessed, but in 2019 he decided to do more and joined charitable initiatives, such as lunch for the guests of the Sant’Egidio Community. The following year he continued to help out in other centers, but the pandemic slowed down his volunteering activity.
He regretted not being able to please everyone
So, this year, he decided to do something more personal, donating panettone to those he had seen for years, trying to bring a little sweetness to the homeless. He recounted:
I woke up at 4.15 and left by car from my town on the Bergamo island. I parked in Loreto, loaded with panettone. And I walked my miles with this load of sweetness.
Despite his efforts, the man said he regretted it everyonepromising that next year he will ask for help to be able to distribute even more panettone. His gesture was also born from personal experience of difficulty:
I come from a poor family. Worker father, housewife mother and four children to feed.
In 1977, due to economic difficulties, he lived outdoors for ten days, hitchhiking. He recalled:
To have money to eat we made bracelets by weaving copper wires.
This experience allowed him to understand what it means to live on the streets, and this is why he has always had respect for the weakest. Finally, he wanted to underline how for him true enrichment lies in helping others:
Donating enriches you. And then I didn’t do anything exaggerated.
