Where to start with charity work? The problems in the world are so numerous and overwhelming that when you are struck with the feeling of needing to act, it can feel like any gesture won’t suffice. But put all these small acts together and add them up over decades, and you start to reach the influence of Mani Tese, an organization active in Florence since 1964 that promotes initiatives on the themes of reuse, ethical economics, critical consumption, interculturality and international cooperation. Their wide-reaching projects are having a notable impact on the city’s social fabric and beyond, and the 60 years of dedication were recently marked by a day of celebrations on September 21 at their Scandicci headquarters in via della Pieve 43B.
The forward-facing association organizes an impressive array of projects, which are financed by a large secondhand and vintage market. “Whatever you can imagine, you can find,” enthuses Mani Tese’s Susanna Banchero. The vast space contains an incredible quantity of clothes, household items, books, items for pets and even musical instruments, with careful curation going into the selection of items. The sale of these goods goes “to sustain Mani Tese’s activities and toward the promotion and education of a more sustainable life”. Elaborating on these educational projects, Susanna tells us: “We do lots of projects with schools, teaching creative sewing so that people can fix their own clothing using lots of different techniques. We have sewing for kids in elementary schools and many other projects in the territory around sustainability. We work with a large network of societies in the area, involving as many people as possible. At our celebration event on September 21, we held workshops and had lunch with products made by local farmers, as well as a space to promote artisans, whether it’s bread, mushrooms or ceramics. They were all given the challenge of creating something that represents their work that was presented by an actress to promote their activity.”
From summer camps to awareness-raising activities, personal training and political mobilization, the volunteers mostly engage in practical activities like collecting used items and fundraisers. The Mani Tese Firenze association, in addition to managing the second-hand market through the Usato Bene social cooperative, forms part of a network with a number of local entities, including Canonica di Santa Maria a Morello, which welcomes schools with a great sustainability game and adults with spiritual growth paths and education for global citizenship. They also work with the Centro del Riuso di Canciulle, in collaboration with San Casciano, which saves and resells many objects that would otherwise become waste. They work too with the Comunità Aiasanta di Vicchio, a place of sobriety, sustainability and hospitality that organizes training, work and agriculture camps.
Mani Tese’s fundamental fight is against all forms of social and environmental injustice, putting their funds towards projects in line with their goals of global betterment. These are the kinds of projects that bring people’s passions to the fore, a selfless sense of giving that is moving and prompts your will to help others.
“We all do a bit of everything,” Susanna remarks. “We have a big job in selecting what to sell in the secondhand shop because one of the mistakes people make is that they bring things instead of throwing them out, trying to clear their conscience, but this represents a big cost for us. Our job is to separate what can and can’t be sold, giving the waste to those who work with scrap materials. Part of our job is also to spread the message to people that it’s preferable to buy less and buy better. To take responsibility for your purchases and keep them until the end of their life.”
The secondhand market at via delle Pieve 43B, Scandicci, is open from 9am to 1pm Tuesday-Saturday, and open in the afternoon from 3-7pm Wednesday-Saturday. Email usatobene@gmail.com and see www.manitese.it.
