5,000 Portions of Food Distributed to Needy in Sweden on Christmas Eve - Spreading Joy, Love, and Compassion

Over 100 volunteers in 19 Swedish cities distributed nearly 5,000 meals to those in need. In Santa Clara, a church in Sweden’s capital Stockholm, alone, received and shared 1,000 of these portions.

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National newspapers, local media, national radio, and television covered the charity project of ADFA and Grekiska Grill & Bars in Sweden.

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This English translation is freely adapted from journalist Eva Janzon's Swedish version for the Swedish newspaper Dagen.

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It was in early December that Zeki Yalcin, CEO of the franchise company, Grekiska Grill and Bars  presented the idea to his board: to cook and donate food to those in need on Christmas Eve. 'We had made similar efforts in individual locations before, in collaboration with local volunteer organizations, such as the Pentecostal Church and the Church of Sweden,' he told Dagen. 'This year, the need is much greater than before, and since our business has expanded and our restaurants are present in 30 locations in the country, this time, we took the initiative as a whole chain. We wanted to give back, which is the spirit of Christmas. At the beginning, we thought of having two of our restaurants open, but it developed fast into a nationwide operation.

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Need Your Help

The restaurateurs who had the opportunity immediately joined. The only question was how to identify and reach out to those who needed it the most. 'I called Nuri Kino, founder and leader of the charity organization A Demand for Action (ADFA) who has been a friend for many years, and asked where in the world he would be around Christmas. When he said he would be home, I said: Great, then I have a project for which I need your help.'

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Thanks to ADFA’s volunteers and to an extensive network of contacts, he has developed, Nuri ensured that the food portions were distributed in 19 locations around Sweden, on Christmas Eve. In some places, logistics hindered the planning, and instead of distributing a total of 5,000 portions, the chain had to settle for donating nearly 4,700.

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“Amazingly, many of my franchisees and their staff were more than willing to step up, even though they had planned to take time off,” said Zeki Yacin. “Since my brothers are co-owners, this also became a family effort, and several nieces and nephews also helped.”

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Need Your Help

The restaurateurs who had the opportunity immediately joined. The only question was how to identify and reach out to those who needed it the most. 'I called Nuri Kino, founder and leader of the charity organization A Demand for Action (ADFA) who has been a friend for many years, and asked where in the world he would be around Christmas. When he said he would be home, I said: Great, then I have a project for which I need your help.' 

Thanks to ADFA’s volunteers and to an extensive network of contacts, he has developed, Nuri ensured that the food portions were distributed in 19 locations around Sweden, on Christmas Eve. In some places, logistics hindered the planning, and instead of distributing a total of 5,000 portions, the chain had to settle for donating nearly 4,700.“

Amazingly, many of my franchisees and their staff were more than willing to step up, even though they had planned to take time off,” said Zeki Yacin. “Since my brothers are co-owners, this also became a family effort, and several nieces and nephews also helped.”

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Historic Effort

Nuri Kino describes the effort as 'historic.''We have been told that there has not been such a coordinated relief effort in so many places in Sweden simultaneously. Definitely not on Christmas Eve,' he told Dagen. 'A lot of unexpected and exciting things happened during the process. For example, the restaurant in Kungsbacka had water damage. Three hundred and twenty bags could not be  be filled and distributed. Needy people were waiting. The firefighters arrived, fixed the damage, and joined the restaurateurs, staff, and ADFA volunteers to help with the food preparation and filling the bags!' 

The priest Hans Bratt Hernberg, at Clarakyrka  church, one of the places where food was distributed, wrote in a message to ADFA: 'Many thanks. I don't know how I can thank you enough. As I said in my speech at the church, we had prayed for a miracle, food to distribute on Christmas Eve, then Nuri Kino called, offering us just that. Many of those who received food,  sweets, care and love, openly cried. It’s heartwarming.'

December 25, 2013