L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano " We served Neapoli- t a n r i g a t o n i a l ragù and a vegeta- rian pasta dish. It's always nice to see a smile on the faces of people when the words 'Italian' and ' p a s t a ' a r e p r o n o u n c e d together." I n t e r n a t i o n a l s o c c e r l e g e n d A l e s s a n d r o D e l Piero is very proud when asked about his recent invol- vement in a charitable event that feed hundreds of home- less people in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. T h e f o r m e r J u v e n t u s player is actually not new to charity; after donating meals p r e p a r e d b y s t a f f a t h i s Italian Restaurant N10 to the Children's Hospital last April, during the lockdown, and to the St. Patrick Church & School - Archdiocese of L o s A n g e l e s i n M a y , D e l Piero partnered with host Jimmy Kimmel and the St Joseph Center to donate hot meals to the homeless com- munity at the Permanent Supportive Housing. "Thus far, we have served over 300 hot Italian meals to the residents at 7th and Witmer in DTLA and other S t . J o s e p h C e n t e r ' s l o c a - tions." Del Piero underlines. "Talking about Italy was a great way to break the ice and it was a joy to spend s o m e t i m e w i t h t h e r e s i - dents, talking about their lives, which sometimes is more important than food itself." He then adds, "I am " M a d e i n I t a l y " a n d w e Italians love talking to peo- ple and feeding them. Food is culture, and thanks to the staff at my restaurant N10 Los Angeles, I was able to help feed people in need and also share something meaningful about my coun- try." But how did the Italian soccer star end up connec- t i n g w i t h t h e f a m o u s American television come- d i a n J i m m y K i m m e l ? T h e a n s w e r c o m e s f r o m Italian Gaia Ceccaroli, an I n t e r n a t i o n a l P R , Communication Manager, F u n d r a i s i n g a n d C R S Consultant for non-profit organizations and compa- nies. Gaia, born and raised in Milan, has recently star- t e d c a l l i n g L o s A n g e l e s h o m e . " W h i l e t r a v e l l i n g around the world, I stopped in Los Angeles to attend the Emmy Awards, where I met a funny man, Will Burke, d i r e c t o r o f t h e J i m m y K i m m e l S h o w . H e w o u l d soon become my husband. W e g o t m a r r i e d l a s t N o v e m b e r a n d I h a d t o pause my professional life in order to respect the immi- gration law, and wait to get permission to work." G a i a ' s f o c u s h e r e i n America has shifted on lear- ning the intricacies of the local healthcare system and social issues like homeles- sness, hunger, and poverty. " W h i l e c h a t t i n g w i t h t h e living legend Alessandro Del Piero, who I also met at the E m m y s , I m e n t i o n e d S t . Joseph Center, a charity I first learned about through Jimmy Kimmel and his wife Molly McNearney. "My husband works with Jimmy and Molly, two of the most principled and charita- ble people in the world, who support St. Joseph Center, which empowers homeless and housing insecure citi- z e n s w i t h d i g n i t y a n d respect. Alessandro instan- tly asked me if he could be helpful, and two weeks later we were providing hot meals f r o m h i s G a m b e r o R o s s o Awarded Restaurant N10 Los Angeles to the residents of the new 7th and Witmer P e r m a n e n t S u p p o r t i v e Housing building in DTLA, run by St. Joseph Center." "Not only is he a cham- pion in the soccer field and the restaurant world, but he is a champion of the heart. I was impressed by how eager he was to personally deliver each meal and share kind words with everyone," says Gaia Ceccaroli whose goal is n o w t o k e e p d o i n g g o o d things involving both of her countries: Italy and the US. "This means impacting one person at a time, and also expanding the scope of my i n f l u e n c e t o b e m o r e 'American sized'." Everything became possi- ble with the involvement of the St Joseph Center, whose journey to end homelessness b e g a n 4 0 y e a r s a g o . S t . Joseph Center is a non profit organization that provides services to combat homelessness, hunger, and poverty in Los Angeles. "I l o v e d w o r k i n g w i t h t h e w a r m a n d e n g a g i n g S t . J o s e p h C e n t e r s t a f f , a n d hearing about how fulfilling t h e i r j o b s a r e . B r i n g i n g u n h o u s e d p e o p l e o f f t h e street and into their own clean, safe apartments in a brand new building creates true joy for both the new residents and the staff mem- bers. It is a rare and valuable t h i n g t o b e c l o s e t o s u c h pure happiness and gratitu- de."Del Piero says about the Center. "We have more than 20 programs including housing and rental assistance, men- tal health services, job trai- ning, and food assistance such as a food pantry and a full-service restaurant that serves up to 300 daily meals f o r p e o p l e e x p e r i e n c i n g homelessness." Says Dr.Va L e c i a A d a m s K e l l u m " T h r o u g h o u r o u t r e a c h teams and staff at nine servi- ce sites across the city, we r e a c h m o r e t h a n 1 0 , 0 0 0 people per year. Italian legend Alessandro Del Piero partnered with Jimmy Kimmel to end homelessness SILVIA GIUDICI "St. Joseph Center appre- ciates Alessandro Del Piero's willingness to provide food t o c l i e n t s a t o u r 7 t h a n d Witmer housing site. The clients are especially grateful for the warm meals and the opportunity to connect with G a i a C e c c a r o l i a n d W i l l Burke during meal service. This partnership is particu- larly helpful as we endeavor to address increased food insecurity during this unpre- cedented time." And surely the pandemic had a huge impact on events like this one, as what we are experiencing as a commu- nity is an increase of people in need. "Since the start of the pandemic, we are seeing sharp increases in the num- ber of people who are rea- c h i n g o u t f o r h e l p . F o r instance, our food pantry had a 70% increase in atten- d a n c e , a n d o u r h o t m e a l program, Bread and Roses C a f é , s e r v e d 8 0 % m o r e m e a l s e a c h d a y . W i t h s o m u c h u n c e r t a i n t y – l o s t jobs, reduced income, and a high cost of living in Los Angeles— we expect even more people will need our help in the coming year." Alessandro Del Piero (left) with two volunteers (center) and Gaia Ceccaroli (right). (Photo courtesy of St Joseph Center) LOS ANGELES ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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