by Stefano Vaccara
NEW YORK (ITALPRESS) – Solidarity has found a house in New York symbolic and evocative: the ship MSC Wonder, anchored at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. This is where the Grow Together Foundation organized its first Christmas Charity Lunch, an event that has joined the Italian community, faith, social commitment and hope, in the sign of Christmas.
The Foundation, led by Don Luigi Portarulo, was born from Catholic roots but with an open and inclusive look, aimed at the whole community. The objective is ambitious but concrete: build in New York a network of educational, sports and social projects capable of offering real opportunities to children, young people and families in difficulty, strengthening the sense of belonging and the common good.
The charity lunch on the Wonder was not only a convivial moment, but a true foundation. Don Luigi Portarulo told the vision of the Grow Together Foundation as a path that starts from daily solidarity and translates into tangible actions: language courses for adults and children, after school, summer camps, health initiatives, up to experiences of pilgrimage and formation. All dowels of a project that aims to “grow together”, as the name of the Foundation suggests.
Guest of honour of the event was Alessandra Mastronardi, an actress loved by the Italian and international public, who dialogued with Don Luigi on the value of social commitment, on the importance of returning something to the community and on the responsibility of those who have public visibility. Next to her, also Giuseppe “Pepito” Rossi, champion of Italian football, who stressed the fundamental role of sport as an instrument of inclusion, education and personal growth, especially for the younger ones.
In the presence of institutional representatives, including the Consul General of Italy in New York Fabrizio Di Michele, members of the Italian-American community and numerous volunteers, the Together Foundation also presented future projects for 2026, confirming the desire to root permanently on the New York territory. The Christmas Charity Lunch ended with a charity auction, in which the National Team number 22 of the former Manchester United and Fiorentina footballer, with the proceeded donated to the Foundation, transforming the ship into a space for sharing, dialogue and support. A concrete start, for a Foundation that aims to make solidarity not an occasional gesture, but a continuous commitment to the Italian community of New York.
-Photo xo9/Italpress-
(ITALPRESS).
