On Wednesday, 13th December 2017, between 12:00 and 14:00 hours at the North Railway Station, InterContinental Bucharest together with Casa Ioana Association, volunteers from the British and American Embassies, the Faculty for Sociology and Social Work (Bucharest University), local businesses and other volunteers, served hot meals and provided clothing and other essential items to some of Bucharest’s homeless and impoverished people.
Every winter we offer warm clothing, sturdy shoes and non-perishable food items to help some of Bucharest’s homeless people through the winter. This is "Christmas Soup", a charity project by Casa Ioana that we embrace every year, together with His Excellency Paul Brummel, British Ambassador to Romania, and a hearty group of volunteers.
Cristian Marino, Executive Chef at the InterContinental Bucharest was one of the participants and his enthusiasm was the same as always: "It is the 5th year when this event is organized and the 4th for me since I come at Gara de Nord for this project. It is a symbolic gesture of solidarity and compassion for those in need. At the InterContinental, we are happy to support Casa Ioana every December and it is rewarding to see every time more colleagues to be involved as volunteers to prepare and to serve the soup and more companies willing to help. The Christmas Soup is now a tradition for all of us".
Casa Ioana is an association developed by Ian Tilling for homeless population who need support from the community. Ian Tilling says that decent employment and affordable child care are vital ingredients for escaping life on the street. “We work with mothers who have often been forced to depend on an abusive partner for accommodation and financial security, not only for themselves but for their children. They face huge challenges in getting and maintaining a decently paid job and affordable child care whilst at work. In such a competitive environment, the difficulties they face are almost insurmountable barriers to employment.”
His Excellency Paul Brummell, the British Ambassador to Romania that served soup to the unprivileged said that “I am delighted that the British Embassy in Romania, and many of our embassy staff have contributed each winter season to help the less fortunate among us. It is important to keep on pressing publicly the idea that poverty is a by-product of inequality. We all can help make a difference. We are making it yet again this December. Come join us!”
The charity event was a real success for the homeless people who had a hot meal but, also for the organizers and the volunteers which offered their help around holidays.
