As Christmas approaches, charitable organisations in Prague are once again preparing special events for people living on the streets.

Several organisations are stepping in to offer food, shelter, and a sense of shared celebration.

One of the organisations involved is Naděje, which plans to distribute meals at selected locations on December 24. According to the organisation’s director, Aleš Strnad, Christmas is often marked by loneliness for people experiencing homelessness.

“For most people, these days mean meeting with family. That is usually not the case for homeless people,” he says. Naděje aims to ease that burden by creating a modest Christmas atmosphere through shared meals and contact with staff and volunteers.

The organisation also prepares a traditional Christmas Eve dinner for its clients. The menu includes soup, potato salad, and schnitzel, followed by Christmas cookies. Some of the sweets are donated, while others are baked by clients themselves within Naděje’s residential services. For Strnad, the gesture is simple but important: helping people feel that the holidays have not passed them by entirely.

Another major Christmas event is organised by the Archdiocese of Prague, which hosts around 200 people facing difficult life situations on Christmas Eve each year.

Guests are served duck with dumplings and cabbage, dumpling soup, and sweets, including Christmas cookies. Each attendee also receives a small gift. According to Kristýna Koldinská from the Sant’Egidio Community, this year’s gathering will also include a professional musical performance, adding a shared cultural moment to the meal.

Beyond charity-led initiatives, the City of Prague increases its support during the winter months. The municipality provides roughly 700 beds in dormitories and heated facilities equipped with basic social services.

At the same time, additional outreach workers are deployed across the city, offering hot drinks, food, and medical assistance directly on the streets to those who need it most.

Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more