Spanish priest helps reintegrate dozens of ex-convicts and homeless back into society

W/S Two men entering Buenos Aires Community Development Association (ASDECOBA) greenhouse in Miranda de Pericalvo, Salamanca, Spain
M/S Man watering crops in greenhouse
W/S Man watering crops in greenhouse
M/S Men collecting vegetables in greenhouse
M/S Men collecting vegetables in greenhouse
W/S Man working in greenhouse
SOT, Jesus Garcia, ASDECOBA worker (Spanish): "I was in prison. I came out of prison and came here."
C/U Man's hand working land in greenhouse
SOT Jesus Garcia, ASDECOBA worker (Spanish): "Honestly, this has been a miracle for me, a miracle in my life. I usually say that probably I wouldn't be alive or that I would be in prison for life [if it wasn't for Emiliano], probably."
M/S Jesus Garcia working in greenhouse
SOT, Jesus Garcia, ASDECOBA worker (Spanish): "This man is a priest, but I don't know how to say it... he's so special, he's one of these people who give his life to others, he's like that, he's like that."
W/S Grenhouse plants
SOT Emiliano Tapia, Priest and founder of ASDECOBA (Spanish): "The first house we opened was the parish house where I work as a priest, the Santa Maria de Nazaret Parish House, in the Buenos Aires district, and we started to take people there. Later we added three apartments, apart from the parish house. [We host] a total of 23, 24, 26 people with an average age between 48 and 50 years."
W/S Emiliano Tapia walking at ASDECOBA's orchard in El Pino de Tormes, Salamanca village
SOT Emiliano Tapia, priest and founder of ASDECOBA (Spanish): "In these coronavirus and pandemic times we took in people who just came out of prison, we took in people who were living on the streets and we integrated them in our workflow in best way we could."
W/S Emiliano Tapia working in ASDECOBA's orchard in El Pino de Tormes
SOT Emiliano Tapia, Priest and founder of ASDECOBA (Spanish): "This pandemic met us working our way, so it wasn't a big effort for us, we just offered what we had, maybe we opened our doors even more, including using spaces we had like the library, a space we used for meetings or reading, we opened it to be able to take more people in so they could be with us."
W/S Men working land in ASDECOBA's orchard in El Pino de Tormes
SOT, Mario Godinez, ASDECOBA worker (Spanish): "Our work is more than anything dedicated to bring our products to the most vulnerable collective in society, the elders, to bring the food TO the people who need it most, this is our focus and our work."
W/S Men working in ASDECOBAS's orchard in Torresmenudas, Salamanca village
SOT, Mario Godínez, ASDECOBA worker (Spanish): "Working the earth fullfills me as a person, yes... it makes me feel good, yes, [it makes me] arrive home tired, eat... to value everything I eat, specially if it comes from the same earth I put the effort of my work on."
M/S Man working in ASDECOBA's orchard in Torresmenudas
W/S Man working land
C/U Man working land
SCRIPT
A Spanish priest and coordinator of a non-profit organisation from Salamanca, Emiliano Tapia, is reintegrating senior homeless people and ex-convicts back into society while helping to produce food for those in need during the coronavirus crisis, as footage from Wednesday and Thursday shows.
Tapia, who houses some of the workers at his parish, coordinates the work of Buenos Aires Community Development Association (ASDECOBA).
The organisation offers work in a greenhouse and two orchards ceded by locals in Miranda de Pericalvo, El Pino de Tormes and Torresmenudas, villages of Salamanca.
"The first house we opened is the parish house where I work as a priest, the Santa Maria de Nazaret Parish House, in the Buenos Aires district, and we started to take people there. Later we added three apartments, apart from the parish house. [We host] a total of 23, 24, 26 people with an average age between 48 and 50 years," said Tapia.
"Honestly, this has been a miracle for me, a miracle in my life. I usually say that probably I wouldn't be alive or that I would be in prison for life [if it wasn't for Emiliano], probably," said Jesus Garcia, a 66-year-old ASDECOBA worker.
The vegetables produced by the non-profit organisation workers turn into around 500 meals that are delivered every day to the elderly and homeless people in the region.