Shelters and charities in Prague organize Christmas events for homeless
Charitable organizations in Prague will offer festive meals to homeless people again this year. On December 24, Naděje will serve food at various locations, and on Christmas Day, the Prague Archdiocese will host 200 people, helping those in need celebrate the holidays with warmth and community.
Roman, who has been living on the streets for 20 years, uses the field service of the Naděje (“hope”) organization, where he gets food and drink.
"When it's freezing, there are shelters, and I like it there. I always got some money for Christmas, so I paid for a cheap hotel. Youth used to keep me warm, but now it doesn't anymore. I don't know what will happen next."
According to its director Aleš Strnad, the organization tries to make Christmas more enjoyable for homeless people.
"These holidays often bring us a lot of joy and family gatherings. This is not something that can be expected for homeless people. For the most part, these holidays are a sad time for homeless people, so we try to bring them the Christmas spirit."
The organization also prepares a Christmas Eve dinner for people without a home.
"It consists of soup, potato salad, and schnitzel. Christmas cookies, which we either receive as gifts or which our clients bake themselves in our residential services," adds Strnad.
Duck with cabbage
In addition, every year on Christmas Day, the Archdiocese of Prague hosts around 200 people in difficult life situations. Kristýna Koldinská from the Sant’Egidio community with more:
"We serve duck with dumplings and cabbage, dumpling soup, and, of course, cookies and Christmas bread for dessert. The lunch also includes a gift for each of our guests. This year, we have a special surprise in the form of a professional musical performance."
The Prague City Council also offers help to homeless people in winter. It has 700 beds in night shelters and heated rooms with sanitary facilities for them. There are also more field workers on the streets, providing refreshments and medical assistance to those in need.
