In Italy, where the coronavirus has shuttered more than 2 million
businesses and left 1 in every 2 workers without income, some Italians
are putting a new twist on an old custom to help the needy and restart
the economy.
It's so small that social distancing forces customers to order through the window. Shop owner Michela Buccilli says suspended coffee has been replaced with suspended grocery shopping.
The store usually doubles the amount donated and provides food that
does not spoil fast — such as pasta and canned goods — to a local aid
group, the Sant'Egidio Community,
that distributes it to the needy. Buccilli says one customer wanted
specifically to donate a kilo of oranges to a needy family, so Buccilli
sent the aid group a crate of oranges.
Suspended shopping is an act of charity in which the donor doesn't show off and the recipient doesn't have to show gratitude.
With Italy's economy in suspension, the custom is being broadened with a view to the future.
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