Bucharest Guinness record event generates over EUR 100,000 for children’s psychiatric hospital

Bucharest’s Guinness World Record-setting Masa Care Unește (the Table That Unites) generated contributions worth more than EUR 100,000 for the construction of Romania’s first pediatric psychiatric hospital. The September 12 event gathered 20,000 people around a 5,055-meter table made from recycled materials.

The total includes individual donations made by text message, QR code, and bank transfer, contributions from private companies, and construction materials pledged for furnishing and equipping the hospital. Hundreds of participants also registered to make recurring monthly donations.

The hospital is being developed by the Metropolis Foundation and is expected to support more than 5,700 children with severe mental health conditions every year.

“The world record is an extraordinary achievement, but equally important is what this edition demonstrates: how much we can build when companies, partners, volunteers, and individuals combine their resources, time, and energy around a common cause,” said Alexa Vîlcan, founder of organizer Bloom The World.

“Masa Care Unește was, above all, about community and the strength people can give to an idea they believe in.”

She added that the privately organized initiative was supported by 57 commercial and institutional partners.

Around 1,000 vulnerable people supported by Bucharest social centres attended free of charge, while dedicated facilities were provided for people with disabilities. The official announcement of the record was also interpreted in sign language.

The organizers also took measures to reduce waste after the event. Surplus food was collected by the District 6 Food Bank and redistributed to vulnerable people and communities, while the materials used for the table will be reused.

The wooden pallets are being returned to project partners, and the chipboard will be used in the construction of the psychiatric hospital with support from SafeSteel and SafeWood, according to the organizers.

The Bucharest event broke Bloom The World’s previous Guinness World Record,