This week the food parcels of Food for Life Foundation will reach small villages in the Jász region as well as the Budapest district of Óbuda. Leading up to Christmas, the aid work will contibue in the capital as well as in the Somogy and Heves and Hajdú counties. In all, more than 5300 people will receive the presents.
Crisis stricken population
The new wave of the Corona virus epidemic and the inflation over 5 per cent combined renders the lives of marginalised people even more difficult. Even those people and families who still have their homes and jobs have their difficulties, as the economic tightening measures combined with rising prices affect them adversely. Those pauperised groups like people with meagre pensions, the jobless, the physically challenged, who had needed help anyway, have got closer to the brink.
At this time of continuing epidemic, we can ease the worries of the needy only with the assistence of individuals and charitable organisations.
Jászapáti-Tiszasüly-Tápiószecső – survival by donations
Krishna devotees have been receiving letters requesting aid since 2010 in which the inhabitants of Jászapáti and neighboring settlements describe their plight. This year a Christian pastor wrote to the management of the Food for Life programme. He wrote that in the region there are many disadvantaged families where even having a warm dish a day for each member of the family is difficult.
On 7 December, there will be a parcel distribution before the festival season at the places of worship maintained by the pastor in Jászapáti and Tiszasüly. At both locations each, 50 parcels containing sugar, flour, cooking oil, chocolate and other useful ingredients will be distributed for the families. The van of Food for Life will stop on the way at Tápiószecső, where it has become a tradition that retired people and the needy families of the village are presented with essential foodstuffs.
Food and parcel distribution in Óbuda
In cooperation with the Family Advisory and Child Protection Service of the Óbuda municipality, Food for Life will organise its special food and parcel distribution event in front of the Town Hall near Flórián shopping centre. The event was also supported by the Municipality with monetary assistance. In comparison with the normal, all workday, distribution of warm cooked food, this event will see 800 pieces of bakery items, fruit, and a parcel of durable food of 12 items including sweets for Christmas, the favourite of children, improving the festivities of the needy.
Among Budapest districts, Óbuda has shown a good example to the others for more than ten years by exemplary care for its disadvantaged inhabitants. Food for Life, which is based in the district being the humanitarian organisation of the Hare Krishna devotees, serves as free food distributor on six days of the week. Before Christmas, they distribute durable food enough for a week or two for those who need it, which may mean the survival for many in the difficult winter season.
The aid programme continues up to the end of December in Somogy, Heves and Hajdú-Bihar counties as well as in the capital city, meaning that our fellow citizens in need are assisted at 25 locations.
Warming up the Soul
Such a program for the distribution of food before the festivity season not only fills the bellies of the disadvantaged but means much more. It also brings hearts closer to each other. The events also give an opportunity for the people most challenged not only physically but also spiritually to relate to each other, to talk, to experience care and help from others, experience love. This is a great asset which is often lacking in the lives of otherwise better situated people.
We are all parts of a large family. Let us then give care, pay attention to our fellow human beings and, if we can afford it, let us contribute to the aid to the needy.
By clicking on the link below, you can contrbute to this humanitarian project of distributing food for the needy. Thank you very much!
