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Scottish expats work to feed refugees in freezing Budapest
| Published: | 16 Jan at 6 PM |
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The severe cold weather in Europe is hitting hardest on refugees and the homeless, but a group of Scottish expats are doing their best to help.
Dozens have already died in the life-threatening -19 Celsius freeze, many of whom were refugees from the Middle East or homeless Hungarians. Unable to watch the suffering without attempting to do something, the owners and customers at Budapest’s Caledonia Scottish Pub are cooking and serving literally thousands of meals and distributing them to those in desperate need.
Owners Patrick McMenamin and Zsuzsanna Bozo now lead an army of Hungarian and expat customers sourcing ingredients and cooking up a storm of food aimed at warming and nourishing the homeless trying to cope in the sub-freezing temperatures. Over the last five nights of non-stop preparation of hearty dishes such as lentil and sausage soup, some 1,300 tasty, steaming hot meals have been cooked and distributed.
Tesco Budapest chipped in by providing all ingredients for one night’s cook-in, and pub patrons are doing the rounds and keeping the supplies coming. Their efforts have received congratulations from the Scottish Ambassador to Hungary and his wife, who’ve both stepped up and joined in with the rest of the volunteers.
Ambassador Ian Lindsay OBE met with the Scottish Daily Record newspaper, saying he and his wife Bridget were thrilled to see the Budapest expat community joining with their Hungarian friends to help those in such desperate need. He added that all credit should go to the Caledonia Scottish Pub’s owners and customers as well as to Tesco and the many others who’d given their time and hard work in support of the less fortunate.
Patrick and Zsuzanna worked for the Young Scot charity before emigrating and opening the pub, and are more than happy to give to their community and those who’ve hit difficult times. According to Zsuzanna, once the food is cooked, Age of Hope charity volunteers take it to refugees and the homeless who’re sleeping out in the woods and scrub areas close to the airport as well as to homeless shelters and people sleeping on the streets.
The determined efforts of these expat and local volunteers are aimed at saving vulnerable lives during the worst cold snap for decades. Everyone involved is determined to keep the meals coming until the freeze is over.
Dozens have already died in the life-threatening -19 Celsius freeze, many of whom were refugees from the Middle East or homeless Hungarians. Unable to watch the suffering without attempting to do something, the owners and customers at Budapest’s Caledonia Scottish Pub are cooking and serving literally thousands of meals and distributing them to those in desperate need.
Owners Patrick McMenamin and Zsuzsanna Bozo now lead an army of Hungarian and expat customers sourcing ingredients and cooking up a storm of food aimed at warming and nourishing the homeless trying to cope in the sub-freezing temperatures. Over the last five nights of non-stop preparation of hearty dishes such as lentil and sausage soup, some 1,300 tasty, steaming hot meals have been cooked and distributed.
Tesco Budapest chipped in by providing all ingredients for one night’s cook-in, and pub patrons are doing the rounds and keeping the supplies coming. Their efforts have received congratulations from the Scottish Ambassador to Hungary and his wife, who’ve both stepped up and joined in with the rest of the volunteers.
Ambassador Ian Lindsay OBE met with the Scottish Daily Record newspaper, saying he and his wife Bridget were thrilled to see the Budapest expat community joining with their Hungarian friends to help those in such desperate need. He added that all credit should go to the Caledonia Scottish Pub’s owners and customers as well as to Tesco and the many others who’d given their time and hard work in support of the less fortunate.
Patrick and Zsuzanna worked for the Young Scot charity before emigrating and opening the pub, and are more than happy to give to their community and those who’ve hit difficult times. According to Zsuzanna, once the food is cooked, Age of Hope charity volunteers take it to refugees and the homeless who’re sleeping out in the woods and scrub areas close to the airport as well as to homeless shelters and people sleeping on the streets.
The determined efforts of these expat and local volunteers are aimed at saving vulnerable lives during the worst cold snap for decades. Everyone involved is determined to keep the meals coming until the freeze is over.
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