Rory Mercurio considers himself blessed to earn a living driving a van for a large hotel to New York City’s LaGuardia Airport. So much so, that he decided he would donate a portion of his tip money to help the less fortunate, rather than use it for himself.
“My main motivation… was my realization as to how much I have in life,” Rory said. “Not only in that I am able to live comfortably, but that I have so many good things in life like family, health, peace of mind and other blessings. I thought it would be only fair to share with others.”
About eight years ago, one of Rory’s passengers, Father Richard Nahman, a Food For
The Poor speaker, began a conversation with Rory about the organization’s work in the Caribbean and Latin America.
“Father Richard offered me a tip, and instead, I reached into the bag where I kept my charity fund and handed it to him, asking him to add his tip to what I had and pass it on to Food For The Poor,” Rory explained.
Thus began Rory’s habit of setting aside his tip money to donate to Food For The Poor. He’d collect a few hundred dollars, write a check and give it to Father Richard, directing
him to use the money where it was most needed.
Over the years Rory and his wife’s generous donations have equaled enough to build a house in Jamaica, dig a well for a village in Haiti, and help earthquake victims in Haiti. But it hasn’t been easy. Sometimes he’d look at his charity fund and think about something he wanted to buy for himself. Then Rory would realize he was fortunate compared to others.
“Because of my good fortunes, I feel myself to be ‘rich’, although I don’t have a great deal of money,” Rory said.
Both Rory and the families whose lives he’s touched are thankful for their special bond, a bond of love and sacrifice that’s an example to us all.