FEAD 2018 Catalogue of case studies

Czech Republic – ‘Chefs without borders’: reintegrating homeless women through cooking Silesian Diakonia Images © Stanislav Mrozek, 2017 WHY? In 2017, there were approximately 68 500 homeless people in the Czech Republic. These individuals live on the periphery of social life, are excluded from mainstream social services and are generally isolated from the wider community. As a result, many homeless individuals experience loneliness and depression. The Silesian Diakonia seeks to support them by not only meeting their basic food and material needs but also by bringing them together to socialise and engage with the community . By doing so, they aim to boost the confidence of homeless individuals and build a bridge with the community. WHAT? In the town of Třinec, the homeless shelter ‘Sara’ houses women aged 18 and over who have lost their homes due to debt, disagreements with a partner or family, or domestic violence. Together with the Silesian Diakonia, they developed ‘Chefs without borders’ where women staying at the shelter are invited to cook a three-course meal using FEAD food products . The aim is to bring the end recipients together by encouraging them to participate in a communal activity where they not only learn new cooking skills, but also have the opportunity to socialise and learn from each other, while producing hot nourishing meals. The food is subsequently shared with people in the local community who are also sleeping rough. Diverse approaches to supporting Europe’s most deprived: FEAD case studies 2018 18