The gracious service superhero

He has no white beard, sleigh, or superhero cape, and yet he never stops distributing gifts to those who need it, in the form of free help with small services, tasks or jobs. Her name ? Pietro Mancini, alias “The Reliable Guy”, who aspires to develop a supportive chain, while seeking to undermine the mistrust of those who find his approach too good to be true.

Sylvain Sarrazin
Press

Set up Tempo shelters, uninstall air conditioners, empty clogged basements, run errands at IKEA or the grocery store, rake leaves, install play modules for children …: its missions vary dramatically, but it does he always goes to accomplish them with a smile. The principle ? Very simple: anyone who wants a helping hand at home can throw a pole at the “Reliable Guy”, who selects tasks each week that he is sure to complete. He thus goes to strangers who, for lack of time, skills, means – or even motivation! – do not hesitate to receive a small one-off service offered free of charge.

“I’m a bit like the brother-in-law or the nephew who would come and lend a hand… but who is here for real!” “, Launches facetiously Pietro Mancini, who threw himself headlong into this project last spring. Taking advantage of a break in his professional life, he first tried the experience for a month, just to observe its resonance; encouraged by the impacts on the community and its support, he decided to extend the adventure.

The question that torments you: since his services are free, how does this father of two go about meeting his needs? In fact, to make its approach viable, it disseminates its actions in its networks, in particular in the form of jovial or touching videos where its missions and accomplishments are presented, while calling on contributors and patrons to support it in its approach. “I am inspired by content creators who manage to make a living from a community that supports them, to try to extend the project as long as possible,” he says, while handling wooden trellises.

Build confidence

Indeed, that day, it was at Véronique Lamontagne’s place that “The reliable guy” came to help him install privacy panels in his courtyard (the window of his room overlooks a cemetery). ), to unblock a gutter full of leaves and to bring some rubbish to the local ecocentre. The Montrealer, who must spare her hands, gladly welcomed this voluntary support, but above all appreciates the spirit and values ​​animating Mr. Mancini. “I thought it was great to be able to receive free help like that. Often, these are things we procrastinate on, tasks that seem overwhelming to us. I found it very noble to want to help people for free, ”she says.

Wasn’t she fearful of soliciting the services of a complete stranger? Having previously seen a video on Facebook where he was doing a favor to one of his high school friends, she was persuaded to enter the round. “We live in a period where there is a lot of mistrust, which closes us to great experiences and encounters. I have a taste for trusting people and was ready to give it a try. There is no judgment, Pietro just wants to help spontaneously, ”says Véronique Lamontagne.

Distrust is precisely the number 1 enemy of the volunteer aid superhero. In a society greedy for free, one could imagine that it is overwhelmed by demands; well, imagine that some weeks, his agenda is sparse. “There is a lot of fear and mistrust, I work every day to give people confidence. Despite all the videos, people don’t believe it’s possible. There are also questions of pride or education, they do not dare ”, wonders Pietro Mancini, whose services are not necessarily intended for poor people – as the case of Véronique Lamontagne proves, whose family was rather short of time and seeks to encourage its approach.

“Some say ‘I have the means’ or ‘My problem is not important enough, I will give way to others’. But if they call on me, they can eventually make a donation, which will help build a fund and help the next person who may not be able to afford to hire people. This is what I call the beautiful chain of beauty ”, reports Pietro Mancini, while scraping the gutter of the house with gusto.

Handyman … or almost

In the toolbox which accompanies it, “The reliable guy” can count on a frank good humor, but also a versatility inherited from passages in very eclectic professional baths: from service stations to video clubs, from electronics to accounting, to finish in the entertainment industry, where he had become a personal assistant to a comedian.

Renovation training? Absent from the CV, and he immediately warns that he does not replace the work of the pros.

“If I take a project, it is because I am confident of succeeding”, assures the handyman … who does not claim to do everything! For example, he may rule out requests that could cause serious damage or risk, or confess to being a poor painter. But the tasks he is comfortable taking on are done with care and diligence.

He also had to build a framework, intervening only once per household (“in order to limit abuse”), for services requiring a few hours, during the day during the week, within an hour’s drive radius. around Greater Montreal.

Even if his project is still in its infancy, Pietro Mancini finds himself dreaming of an expansion of his “beautiful chain of beauty”, for example thinking of blitzes of interventions in more remote regions, or the emergence of ‘a community of’ reliable guys’ elsewhere in the province – the kind of guys who might just make you start believing in Santa Claus again.