His big day made a big difference for thousands.
Soccer star Lionel Messi tied the knot with his fianceé Antonella Roccuzzo and used the occassion to help those in his hometown. Prior to his opulent wedding in Argentina for 260 guests, the FC Barcelona icon asked that, in lieu of gifts, all guests make donations to Techo, a charity for impoverished residents of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Speaking to La Capital, Florencia Drucker, Techo communications director, explained, “They gave us the freedom to decide where to spend the money because they know our programs and that it will be used to give continuity to those projects.”
Further, the couple ensured that all uneaten food was donated to the local Rosario Food Bank, to be served to the hungry citizens in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina. To give a sense of the scale of that donation, here’s a tweeted image showing the “leftovers” in transit:
El gesto solidario de Messi y Antonela: lo que no se consumió en el casamiento se donó a entidades benéficas… https://t.co/lqja2zRB1H— LA NACION Deportes (@LA NACION Deportes) 1499381535.0
Said the food bank’s president, Nadia Nazir: "For us any type of donation is very well received and to be honest, we are very happy that they took us into consideration. One of the wedding organisers got in contact with our executive director, Pablo Algrain, to offer us snacks, soft drinks, and alcoholic drinks.”
Messi’s professional career is marked with generosity. He has served as a UNICEF ambassador for the past seven years and established the Leo Messi Foundation, which provides outreach and resources to the impoverished in his hometown.
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