"It is loneliness that brings me here" - Homeless Greek man at soup kitchen
Reuters
2013-12-25
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They are poor. Many are hungry. And on Christmas Day, hundreds are lining up outside a gymnasium in Athens for a free hot Christmas meal provided by the city.
The music is playing and the tables are set, and the demand is high.
As Greeks struggle with a battered economy, more are going without food. The city's social service chief Nikos Kokkinos says it's getting worse.
(SOUNDBITE)(Greek) HEAD OF ATHENS SOCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT NIKOS KOKKINOS, SAYING:
"Yes, the situation is getting worse. To give you an example, we used to give out 1,200 meals a day, now we're giving out 1,400, and we are arranging to start giving out 1500."
In Greece, the Christmas Day meal is traditionally spent with family. For those without, it can be the loneliest time of year.
(SOUNDBITE)(Greek) NEWLY HOMELESS MAN, ANGELOS, SAYING:
"It is loneliness that brings me here, because I am all alone, but also because I do not have enough money to get by. Why else? So I am forc
The music is playing and the tables are set, and the demand is high.
As Greeks struggle with a battered economy, more are going without food. The city's social service chief Nikos Kokkinos says it's getting worse.
(SOUNDBITE)(Greek) HEAD OF ATHENS SOCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT NIKOS KOKKINOS, SAYING:
"Yes, the situation is getting worse. To give you an example, we used to give out 1,200 meals a day, now we're giving out 1,400, and we are arranging to start giving out 1500."
In Greece, the Christmas Day meal is traditionally spent with family. For those without, it can be the loneliest time of year.
(SOUNDBITE)(Greek) NEWLY HOMELESS MAN, ANGELOS, SAYING:
"It is loneliness that brings me here, because I am all alone, but also because I do not have enough money to get by. Why else? So I am forc
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