Talk by the director of Agape at the Parents’ school of the Holy Metropolis of Aitolia and Akarnania (December 2024)
20/12/2024
Partnerships Beyond Borders Summit 2 (May 2025)
10/05/2025“Refugee Care Center – Where Solidarity Is Freely Given”: A feature by parallaximag.gr (April 2025)
In its feature titled “Refugee Care Center – Where Solidarity Is Freely Given,” parallaximag.gr highlights a place that, for eight consecutive years, has been offering care and dignity to vulnerable social groups in the heart of Thessaloniki. The article explains that the Refugee Care Center opened its doors in 2017, near the city’s Railway Station, under the auspices of PES and with the support of Agape Hellas and other organizations. Since then, it has continued to operate as a vital space of compassion, providing basic yet meaningful services to those in need.
The feature stresses that the Center does not promise solutions but offers what is essential — a warm meal, cleanliness, clothing, conversation, and a kind look. It emphasizes that the words “hospitality” and “respect” are not empty rhetoric but translated into quiet, consistent actions every Tuesday and Thursday, from 12:00 to 16:00, at 5 Christou Pipsou Street.
Outside the doors: waiting for a breath of hope
The report movingly describes the scene outside the Center: mothers with babies in their arms, teenagers standing alone, fathers comforting their children with a gentle “everything will be fine.” It points out that this waiting is not merely a queue for services — it is a waiting for light, for a sense of normalcy and human warmth.
Inside the Center: organization and dignity
According to parallaximag.gr, inside the Center there is an atmosphere of organization and dignity. Entry takes place in order of priority to avoid overcrowding and ensure that as many people as possible receive help. It is noted that a small but dedicated team of staff and volunteers serves between 150 and 200 people each time. Operating only two days a week is not a matter of convenience, but the result of limited supplies and resources that run out quickly. Nevertheless, the doors remain open thanks to steady and often anonymous support from citizens and groups
Services that care for people
The feature underlines that care at the Center goes far beyond food and clothing. Showers and laundry facilities are available, along with personal hygiene items and cleaning services, thanks to partnerships with various organizations and local businesses. It is also mentioned that special attention is given to the visitors’ dietary habits, so that the food is not only sufficient but also respectful of their religious and cultural needs. At the same time, language classes — both in Greek and other languages with interpreters — are provided to help people integrate more smoothly into the life of the city.
Clothing: care, not “clearance”
The article pays special attention to the systematic sorting and selection of donated clothes. It notes that not everything is accepted — worn-out or unsuitable items are discarded. Clothes are categorized by gender, age, and size, renewed according to the season, and displayed in ways accessible even to those who cannot read Greek. The goal, it stresses, is not charity but dignity: to allow each person time, fairness, and choice, always under the gentle supervision of volunteers.
From the Idomeni crisis to the heart of the city
The feature connects the Center’s creation with the refugee crisis of Idomeni, when thousands were left stranded without options. It emphasizes that the need moved into the city — and with it emerged a space where anyone, regardless of nationality, religion, or personal history, can stand without fear or judgment. Initial concerns about coexistence, the article notes, proved to be unfounded: tensions are minimal, and mutual understanding has become the norm. Even the choice of neighborhood, once seen as “risky,” turned out to be safe and functional, with positive relations between residents, shop owners, and the Center itself.
The strength of volunteers
Parallaximag.gr highlights the power of volunteerism that sustains the Center. People from Greece and abroad — students, youth groups, and individual citizens — work side by side: some in the kitchen, others in the children’s room, or helping with distribution and accompaniment to services. It is noted that here volunteering is not an act of superiority but a lesson in equality: “today I help, tomorrow I might be the one in need.” Many visitors, once they manage to rebuild their lives, return as volunteers, closing a powerful circle of solidarity.
A beacon of continuity
The article portrays the Center as a “beacon of continuity” in an era of instability. Despite changing migration flows — from Asia, Africa, or war-torn regions — one thing remains constant: an open door. It is sustained entirely through private donations and selfless contributions, treating everyone with the same respect. Every small gesture — a loaf of bread, a language lesson, a smile at the entrance — adds a stone to the structure of humanity.
Epilogue
As parallaximag.gr concludes, this account does not romanticize reality, but shows that at 5 Christou Pipsou Street, hope takes tangible form. Humanity, it stresses, is not an abstract concept, but a demanding daily exercise — to bend down, to listen, to share. Where need meets dignity, solidarity is indeed freely given.
You can read the full feature (in Greek) by parallaximag.gr at the following link: https://parallaximag.gr/epikairotita/reportaz/stin-pipsoy-5-ekei-poy-i-allileggyi-charizetai-aplochera