Our series of food distribution events in the capital begins in Óbuda. Thanks to the collaboration between the local government, the district family assistance service, and our foundation, this weekend’s program will provide holiday food aid to 800 families. In keeping with tradition, Mayor Balázs Bús will kick off the food distribution, and the event will be honored by the presence of Minister of National Economy Mihály Varga and the Community’s senior pastor. The Hungarian Maltese Charity Service is supporting the event with its mobile medical clinic.

Óbuda is a model district when it comes to social welfare, and we are proud that we can do the most for those in need right here in our district, in the neighborhood of our Budapest headquarters. Our family support program has become a model for other districts, including Erzsébetváros and Zugló.

Although the number of homeless people and those without access to social services in the capital is declining as a result of social assistance programs, the demographic makeup of those in need of food aid has changed over the past decade. An increasing proportion of those in need are members of the „middle class” who have housing but are unable to fully cover their major expenses (winter heating bills, medical costs, children’s schooling, etc.). This group is characterized by extreme vulnerability, as the pillars of their lives are very fragile. They are reluctant to show that they are in trouble or that they need outside help to make ends meet, but in reality, their daily lives revolve around survival. They include retirees, large families, or people who have experienced a crisis; because they are generally ashamed of their situation, charitable organizations often have to seek them out and support them so they can maintain their basic security and remain productive members of society. However, if aid organizations reach out to them, it becomes possible to prevent family breakdown, alcohol abuse, drug use, and other similar „escape routes,” as well as the risk that their children’s future—or even their education—will be jeopardized simply because the family is living paycheck to paycheck. We need only think of the shocking rental prices, which force adults to cram into shared apartments. However, the difficulties reach their peak when someone is left to face their problems alone. By reducing expenses, the food distribution program is an effective tool for keeping families in their homes and together—and, not least, for often pulling them back from the brink of a nervous breakdown.

For two decades, the Food for Life Foundation has been providing assistance to those in need—not only in Budapest but in an increasing number of cities across the country—by distributing hot lunches, which are supplemented with baked goods, donated vegetables and fruits, and hot tea. Four times a year, our organization also holds special food package distributions. These very generous food packages, consisting of 20 different items, serve as cooking ingredients for families during holidays and school breaks, ensuring that every family has something to put on the table during the holidays.