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– It is no fun having to tell people who come to church today that unfortunately there will be no food distribution from the House of the Poor due to lack of food.
It was written by Greenland Church Pastor Ingrid Ribe-Nyhus in a Facebook post on Tuesday this week.
Due to lack of capacity, the Poor House had to be closed on the last day with food delivery before Christmas.
Now everyone who uses the Poor House has to wait a week for the next food delivery. So at Christmas.
– They have eaten little and died of hunger.
– No complains
– What, on the other hand, is very nice, but also a bit sad and moving, is how the news is received. No complains. Most people take the message boldly, smile and say Merry Christmas and thank you for the help. Some in Norwegian, some in English, some in a mixture of different languages that I don’t understand, but the faces speak for themselves, writes Ribe-Nyhus and continues:
– I imagine how the atmosphere would have been in Rema’s box today, if the employees said that unfortunately they were empty of ribs, the priest concludes in the post.
Twice a week, the Church of Greenland distributes queues for food distribution at the Poor House across the street. So the church room becomes a large, warm waiting room for those who want to warm up, chat, or relax on the benches.
Ribe-Nyhus tells Dagbladet that he was afraid to give the message to those who had not received the message from the Poor House.
For her, receiving the message was a sad and pleasant experience.
– I myself would probably have been angry and sad, so I was very impressed that everyone took it with such good courage. He says a little that they belong to a less privileged group that is used to accepting little. Without having to generalize too much, many people probably live very unpredictably and are used to changing lives quickly, Ribe-Nyhus says, adding:
– It was also a bit embarrassing to imagine how angry the rich had become by the same thing.
– Many older single people
Deacon Hanna Haraldstad is responsible for coordinating the volunteers in the church.
She explains to Dagbladet that the church saw a need for a place where everyone waiting in line for the House of the Poor can warm up inside.
– Queue tags also allow anyone with other practical errands, or the school, to do this in the meantime, says Haraldstad.
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In the coronatida, Poverty has reported up to 600 in a row. If the church distributes labels for the lines, they can have a more predictable day, without having to queue for hours for the bag of food. Before March, we also distribute some hot juice, and the goal is to make it a nice, social place to come.
Haraldstad explains that there is a very complex group that uses the Fattighuset offer.
– There are those who do not have a place to live, those who do not have a residence permit and many working immigrants. But also Norwegians with low social security, mothers of families, students who have lost their student jobs, foreign students with families, and many single older people, to name a few. And they come from all over town, the deacon tells Dagbladet.
– Many people do not see that they are poor at first glance, but for many different reasons they do not have enough money. For example, one had just spent all the money at the dentist and could not pay for food, explains the priest.
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Several other voluntary organizations are running similar initiatives as well, such as the Salvation Army and the Church City Mission, to name a few.
– Some know other places, others don’t. Some go to the Gospel Center, for example. We have a lot of Eastern Europeans with us, Ribe-Nyhus says.
Full cold storage
Cristiano Aubert is the managing director of Matsentralen Oslo. It is Matsentralen who distributes the food to organizations like Poor House.
He explains to Dagbladet that the food stock is going in waves, but now they have full warehouses.
– The main reason why Fattighuset had to stay closed is probably capacity problems, because we have a lot of food, says Aubert and continues:
– The situation means that these are also even more vulnerable than otherwise. The asylum is in full swing with food delivery and Christmas gift collection, but they are also affected by illness and quarantine. Also, of course, the amount that can be collected is limited, so yesterday they didn’t get enough food from us, Aubert tells Dagbladet.
Full cold storage means Matsentralen is now eager to reopen this Christmas, Aubert adds.
