“I want to meet my child’s needs. Sometimes I open the fridge without wanting anything, just because it’s full. Before, it was empty. This gives me joy” beneficiary of a soup kitchen in Agios Dimitrios.

“Some years ago, the kids were young, and I had absolutely nothing for them to eat when they came home from school. I only had some flour, which I took, grated a carrot I had, added whatever spices were available, rolled it up, and fried it. When they came back, I told them they were meatballs. While they were eating, my little daughter turned to me and said, ‘Mum, it’s very nice, but where’s the minced meat?’ I laughed and cried at the same time. Since then, even now that they are grown up, they still ask me for ‘fake meatballs’ “, beneficiary of a soup kitchen in Megara.

“A bad day is when I have nothing to cook and I have to improvise so my child can eat something nice. It may not be good for me, but I want my child to look at it and say, ‘Wow, Mum, that’s great!’ So I decorate the food, I make cookies if I have flour and add some coloured sprinkles on top so she’ll see them and like them.” , beneficiary of a soup kitchen in Agios Dimitrios.

“I came for financial reasons. It’s difficult and getting harder. Here [at the soup kitchen] they are very helpful—it helps my family” beneficiary of a soup kitchen in Agios Dimitrios.

“If we don’t have anything to eat, something always turns up, and I thank God that I come here. A lady told me to come and get help” beneficiary of a soup kitchen in Peristeri.

“I like it here; it’s like a spiritual community. For me, it’s an outing—it’s something more than just a meal.”, beneficiary of a soup kitchen in Athens.