Lending a helping hand: some inspiration for the season of giving in Romania

The end of the year is a time when more people remember to give back and those in need are not few. We have compiled bellow a selection of initiatives, charities and NGO that have been working on various social issues in Bucharest and across Romania.

Started back in 2007, Shoe Box is a project that raises small in-kind donations for underprivileged children across Romania. As its name suggests, boxes get filled with various presents, such as clothing or toys, and then distributed to various beneficiaries. This year, boxes are collected between December 1 and December 5, and they will be distributed between December 16 and December 14. There are many Shoe Box locations in the country and those interested can open new ones in their area. More details on how to do this here. A list of the current locations where boxes can be donated is available here. Another initiative raising in-kind donations, such as clothing, toys, or hygiene products is Copacul cu Fapte Bune (The Good Deeds Tree). It started as Copacul cu Haine (The tree with clothes), a place in the capital’s Cismigiu Park where people could donate clothes, and it still runs in this version in several places throughout the country. Now it gathers various items that could be of help to children and families in need, in seasonal campaigns. Follow their Facebook page for more details and to see how you can help. O Masă Caldă (A Warm Meal) is an initiative providing meals to those who cannot afford them. It started in Cluj-Napoca but has expanded in several cities in the country in the meantime, including in Bucharest. This year, they also launched an app, ShareFood, which restaurants, hypermarkets, or catering firms can use to donate the food they don’t use. More about them and how you can help here. As the cold weather has settled in, the need for solutions for the homeless is more visible, if not more urgent. Samusocial works year-round in Bucharest with people without a home, and offers them social and psychological assistance services at a day center. They also have mobile teams working on the streets. More on how you can get involved