We want to leave a lasting impact on the non-profit organizations that we serve in Greece, as well as the volunteers coming from the United States and Canada giving up their valuable time to serve those less fortunate.
Our Greek charity partners are doing critical work by supporting some of their country’s most vulnerable and under-served populations – the homeless, the elderly, food-vulnerable people and orphaned/disenfranchised children. These organizations are already providing innovative programming and services for their beneficiaries; however, they are also always striving to do more.
What is their most common obstacle? Funding.
This is why we’ve developed a “wish list” of items, activities and other projects which have been specifically requested from us by our Greek partners; meals, toys, supplies, educational activities and excursions are among the many requests we receive from them.
And of course, our dedicated American and Canadian volunteers are always more than eager to take on extra projects and bring them to fruition. For this reason, we also strive to reward them for their hard work with meals, ice cream parties and other similar activities.
We are openly inviting our supporters and donors in North America to sponsor any one (or more) of these “packages.”
See our full list below and click the respective “Donate” buttons to make your contribution.
Refugee Children Meals
In Athens and Thessaloniki, our partner organizations provide meals for the children during daily activities that are planned – kind of like “boxed lunches.” On any given day, there are upwards of 25-30 kids taking part in activities. Want to sponsor a day of boxed lunches for the children? Each day’s worth of boxed lunches costs about $150.
Educational Games & Toys (full set)
We love to leave our partners with items they need to make our work last long after we are gone. The Greek Council for Refugees in Athens serves dozens of children during their programs and are in constant need of educational toys and games that help the kids learn Greek and English. A complete set costs roughly $100.
Educational Games & Toys (partial set)
We love to leave our partners with items they need to make our work last long after we are gone. The Greek Council for Refugees in Athens serves dozens of children during their programs and are in constant need of educational toys and games that help the kids learn Greek and English. A partial set costs roughly $50.
Arts & Crafts Supplies
Due to its therapeutic value, art is a staple activity for our partners from the Greek Council for Refugees and Elpida Home, both of which serve unaccompanied and/or disenfranchised refugee children on a daily basis. In order to offer such activities, our partners need help covering the cost of art and crafts supplies such as markers, crayons, pencils, paint, brushes, sketchbooks, plastic cups and more. An average of 10-15 kids participate in each activity alongside our volunteers. Average cost of supplies: $150.
Volunteer Meals
Want to host a lunch or dinner for our volunteers? We love taking the volunteers to authentic Greek tavernas where they get to enjoy local cuisine, while simultaneously practicing their Greek language skills when ordering. Each meal costs about $200 for the entire group.
Volunteer Water/Rejuvenation Breaks
On any given day, our volunteers are out for hours at a time working alongside our partners at Boroume, with whom they gather food from farmer’s markets that they then deliver to soup kitchens. Our volunteers are out in the scorching heat and regularly require hydration. We stop often to get them water, snacks and ice cream for recovery and energy! Each break costs about $50.
Museum Visits & Other Excursions
Our work with our partners includes helping the children under their care feel like children again, after suffering trauma of war and separation. These activities usually include 20-25 young children from our partner organizations and our volunteers and cover entrance costs to museums, transportation, water and snacks, a group meal and other associated expenses. Such excursions and activities with the children cost upwards of $800.
Office Spaces Sanding & Painting
The Greek Council of Refugees has experienced a dramatic influx in activity due to the sudden arrival of Ukrainian refugee families in Athens. The organization is in desperate need of additional space to host meetings, offer assistance, legal aid and other services to these individuals. They have acquired eight office spaces in order to meet this need; however, they cannot afford to sand, paint, beautify and otherwise prepare the spaces to be functional offices. The cost of supplies needed for our volunteers to complete the job — sandpaper, primer, various paint colors, brushes, step ladders and more — is approximately $750.
Pickup Truck for Ark of the World in Chios
We’re helping our main partners on the island of Chios tend to their transportation and maintenance needs, taking the children in their care back and forth into town for school and other activities like doctors appointments and other essential obligations. Kivotos Tou Kosmou is a beautiful facility up in the hills overlooking the main town of Chios and houses about 300 abandoned and at-risk children from throughout the Greek islands. Mr. Kostas Almiroudis, a New York native who now lives with his family in Ohio, is chairing this effort to enlist 13 people/families to donate $2000 each to purchase the van. Total cost: $26,000