A burst of life,
with no salary
After years of unemployment, Sandro works for free. “I thought I was doing it for others. Instead, it’s for me”

“Work for free?! Please. You’re crazy; it doesn’t make sense.” This was Sandro’s the first reaction. “In the beginning, I said ‘yes’ because it was the Food Bank. Back then, I said to myself, ‘Well, it’s for charity; I’m doing it for others.’ Then it did not work out that way...” He had been out of work for two years. After four years with a dairy company, he left because back problems prevented him from unloading five pallets of milk per day. After that, he spent two years at home. “At first you watch TV, you think you’re on vacation. Then a heaviness settles in that destroys you. I did not do anything; I watched time go by.” Sunday was the worst day. “It came around and I didn’t deserve it.” Staying in bed slowly consumed his days, and he couldn’t find the strength to throw himself into the job search, with an accounting background and an Associate’s degree in Economics. His search consisted of asking around... His sister woke him up, by introducing him to some friends and an offer to work...for free: four hours a day sorting the food that came from supermarkets, putting pasta with pasta and beverages with beverages.
“A burst of life”–for him, this is what the work is. “I feel like a man.” In the morning, he is happy because he goes in to work to be part of something; he sweats and toils with the others. “Work in itself invigorates you completely,” so much so that you start looking more effectively for a paid position, because “you can’t live on grace alone.” He thought he was doing it for others. “Instead, I do it for myself.” He smiles. “It’s God’s plan.” Why? “Sometimes it seems that a hand guided me, to make me live better. This was the road that I had to travel.”

A. S.