On Tuesday 17th December, Casa Ioana will be holding its annual Christmas Soup Kitchen event at Gara de Nord, Bucharest, between 12.00 and 14.00 hours. The Intercontinental hotel prepares and cooks the food, which is served to approximately 300 people experiencing extreme poverty and homelessness. The British Ambassador and other dignitaries serve the meals whilst other volunteers provide warm clothing and sturdy shoes/boots to the event’s beneficiaries, along with food parcels. This year will be the 7th Christmas Soup Kitchen event. It is not an act of charity, but an act of solidarity and a recognition of a homeless person’s right to food and shelter, as well as raising awareness of homelessness and its consequences on individuals and the community.
We urgently need:
- warm clothing, sturdy shoes, gloves scarfs, woollen hats, etc.
- canned food, biscuits, chocolate, etc.
- toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, soap, etc.
- female sanitary products
- volunteers to help sort the packages before the event and help distribute the donated items on the day
Additionally, we need financial support to purchase fresh food stuffs, etc. nearer the event date. I have attached a poster that can be used in supporting any appeals for food/clothing.
It would be wonderful if this year we could mobilize the corporate sector to be involved in supporting this event and encouraging their staff teams to help by collecting donations as listed above, which Casa Ioana would then collect. Staff could also volunteer some of their time to sort donations before the event and help distribute donations during the Soup Kitchen. Read more here