Marion's Life Overturned by 130,000 Boxes
Ensuring that Christmas is for everyone, even through a thoughtful gesture from a stranger - this was the idea that radically transformed Marion Pizzato’s life as a working mother. With small initial goals in fact she started the ‘Scatole di Natale’ (christmas boxes) initiative in Milan, which with a viral effect meant that in five years she has had to manage the donation of 130,000 gift packages for the less fortunate.
Originally from France, Marion moved to Milan at the age of 16 with her family. After finishing high school, she pursued her studies at Bocconi University, earning a degree in business administration followed by a master’s in management with a specialization in fashion and design companies.
She then built a decade-long career in the cosmetics industry, working at brands such as Sephora and Shiseido. “It was a job and an industry I absolutely loved, but I wanted to dedicate more time to my family, and the work hours weren’t compatible. So, I decided to start my own personal project, and I’m very satisfied with it,” Marion explains. Since 2018, she has managed Dream Milano Relocation, an agency that assists expats in the city by helping them find housing, navigate bureaucracy, and select international schools for their children.
However, her balanced life between family and work was upended in 2020. Inspired by the wave of solidarity during the Covid pandemic, Marion decided to launch her own charitable initiative, drawing inspiration from the French project ‘Boîtes de Noël’. The idea is simple: donate a gift box to those less fortunate, containing four items—something warm to wear, a personal care product, an entertainment item, and a treat—all wrapped with a greeting card and a label indicating the intended recipient (man, woman, child, or elderly person).
"I started with modest expectations, just sharing messages on social media. I hoped for a few hundred participants, but the response was overwhelming - 50,000 boxes! I quickly had to involve organizations to help with collection and distribution," Marion recalls.
And in the following four editions, the project has only continued to grow. The initiative, now covering all of Lombardy, has seen around 140 organizations join forces to collect and distribute the boxes. Additionally, several companies have encouraged their employees to participate by donating gift packages.
"It has been an overwhelming experience," Marion admits. "I manage everything on my own, while a more structured organization would probably be needed. However, setting up a formal association comes with complications. Fortunately, I have an incredible network of 200 volunteers - almost all women - who help me. And I’m really happy that people from other regions have contacted me to start similar initiatives. I gladly provided them with all the necessary guidance and advice to do so."
"I still remember how Professor Stefania Saviolo, whose lessons at Bocconi I admired so much, once told us that for women who want a family, everything is more complicated - but with good organization, you can achieve anything. Those words stuck with me, and I’ve found the best way to truly do it all."
