Many citizens of Montenegro cannot afford a piece of bread and a spoonful of hot meal. An empty stomach leads a number of Podgorica residents to the doors of the National Kitchen and then to Konik, where 270 families and individuals receive free lunch every day. "We serve 600 meals every day, which costs us 550 euros a year," said Ivana Vučinić from the Secretariat for Social Welfare.
For some, the meal is delivered to their home address, some pick it up themselves, and most of them eat here.
In Podgorica, there is also a National Kitchen at the Church of Christ's Resurrection, where 230 meals are distributed daily.
The Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral also has such kitchens in Cetinje where they prepare 150 and in Berane 100 meals every day.
"It's super dear, I have to eat, I have to drink with my three children," said one user of the kitchen.
Recently, free meals have also been distributed in the Bar. "We have 110 users on a daily basis, that's about 47 families. The needs of the city are much greater than we can currently serve," said the president of the NGO "Zene Bar" Liljana Vujović.
And the needs are great in other municipalities as well, since according to Monstat data, 4,4% of citizens are absolutely poor in Montenegro.
This is confirmed by daily appeals for help. The opening of a kitchen in Bijelo Polje has already been announced, which will initially feed 50 people.
"We are planning to start a kitchen from Christmas and make those who need it the most happy on that day," said Darko Pejić, a priest from Bijelo Polje.
Bjepolojci people say that many of their fellow citizens need help. The people of Nikšić will soon be able to count on help in the form of one meal. They got the space for the kitchen, and now they are negotiating with the companies and waiting for the contract. "I have to admit that I am somewhat skeptical that perhaps this shame will prevail among our people, we are such an environment. There is a need, as everywhere, it is not only here. 150 are on the list, I somewhere said that up to 200 should go", said Konstatina Maraš, president of the NGO "Izvor života".
In Podgorica, for the time being, they do not intend to expand the kitchen's capacity, even though they have received 307 requests from citizens for the next year. "600 meals - the estimate is that this is it, that it meets the needs for now," said Vučinić.
And, our interlocutors believe that every city should have at least one soup kitchen and that together we should fight against hunger. Someone's plate of hot soup needs help, but above all more good will from all of us. "With this meal we are giving them, we are trying to give them a piece of our heart to warm them until tomorrow until they come for a new meal," Vujović said.
"One euro for a person is one less hungry mouth. Our little is a lot for someone," said Darko Pejić, a priest from Bijelo Polje.
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