A first message drew our attention to the volunteer opportunity "Cooking in the Gruft". The "Gruft" is a Caritas facility that offers homeless people a safe haven around the clock, 365 days a year. Volunteers not only provide their labour to prepare the meals, they also organise and donate the necessary food.

Cooking for a smile. Driven by this idea, a cookery group of 8 people was quickly put together to prepare a dinner in the crypt. The menu plan (chicken knuckle of pork with rice and salad) was eagerly drawn up and, with the support of EB restaurant operations, the purchase and determination of the quantities for 200 portions was organised. Around 80kg of food was cut, cooked and fried on the spot. The cookery team added a personal touch with homemade pastries. Just before 7 p.m., the guests at the Gruft began to queue for the food to be served. Now every move had to be perfect - after all, 200 portions were to be served in the next 30 minutes. The highlights of the evening were the smiles and thanks from the guests.

Broadening horizons. It was a formative experience for us to realise that there is so much poverty alongside our social fabric in everyday life that we can only recommend such projects to everyone. They broaden our thinking and allow us to recognise the essential things in life.

Autorin: Katharina Elsner