In Greece, private charities, instead of being encouraged, are often treated with suspicion by the state. This is why the Greek Food Bank decided to look more deeply in the matter and started with a survey on soup kitchens.
Who organises them? Who do they help? What are their food needs? Where do they get food and from whom? Simple questions were asked. The 46 soup kitchens that the Greek Food Bank selected are all located in the Attica region and regularly feed 16,916 persons. They are just a sample of the hundreds operating in Greece.
One significant finding of the survey was that, due to the crisis and pandemic, the number of those seeking food support is steadily growing, as are individual needs. Another is that soup kitchens receive practically no help from central government.
According to the Food Bank, building trust and a closer working relationship between the central government and the network of private charity organisations would have a positive impact on the whole of society.
Discover the full study here.
