October 14, 2014
Food for all
St. Theresa's Homeless Shelter is a drop-in day centre and a hostel for homeless people. It is located in Karlín in Prague for people who find themselves in a difficult life situation, and unable to cope on their own. The main activity of the Shelter is providing food. There are dozens of similar institutions throughout the Czech Republic.
Most of the guests at St. Theresa's Homeless Shelter are homeless people. They can have a shower in the day centre and dine in the canteen. They can also stay for a short time in the hostel or obtain long-term accommodation in the Shelter. There are also social workers who take care of the guests.
The canteen is open daily from 10 am until 12 am and usually provides hearty soup, bread, tea and coffee. Guests pay five crowns for soup and bread and beverages are free. In some exceptional cases, guests may obtain soup for free. The menu is placed on the notice board daily.
Unfortunately, the soup cannot be prepared in the shelter and has to be purchased from the nearby restaurant, the Gastro Karlín for 8 CZK. Buying prepared meals is more economical and practical than cooking in the canteen.
The shelter's budget covers the difference between the buying and selling price.. Another source of food in Karlín is the food bank, which is contracted by St. Theresa's Homeless Shelter. Occasionally, Shelter workers go to Malešice to obtain food that is currently in stock. This is usually pastry, canned goods, dried soup and also ketchup, mayonnaise and sweets. It is a valuable addition to ensure there is enough food for the guests at the Shelter
The Shelter also has people who want to help directly. For example, in the summer 2014, a young woman who had just started to work in a bakery in Prague which has several small shops, came by to say they discard products they cannot sell. Discussions ensued on how to cooperate and how to pick up the unsold baked goods. It is also necessary to find a car and someone to do the pick up every morning.
Food is also provided by private donors, mainly before Christmas or before other feast days. At Christmas, a special event is held for guests who cannot be accommodated in the Shelter, and a Christmas dinner is provided for the accommodated guests.
Everything is donated by people from various parishes as part of small food collections. These provide sweets, Christmas cakes and fruit. Only larger amounts of goulash or svíčková for lunch need to be purchased.
The nearby parish of the Church of St. Thomas in the Lesser Town in Prague has been collaborating with the St. Theresa's Homeless Shelter for a long time. The homeless people go to Father Juan in search of help. If they need food, they are given a type of meal voucher with a stamp, which they show at the Shelter for free soup. . Once a month the meal vouchers are paid by the parish. Some people take the meal voucher and go to Karlín, and some do not.
This article is taken from the report released on the occasion of the campaign “One family, food for all”.
