• The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation and its partners bring the spirit of the Easter holidays into the homes of 100 elderly people living alone in Bucharest
• Similar actions are also taking place in other towns across the country through NGOs supported by the Foundation via the Fund for the Elderly The Fund for the Elderly
• 50 elderly people enrolled in the social program The Elderly Phone receive social vouchers worth 200 lei Elderly Helpline primesc tichete sociale în valoare de 200 de lei

More than 1 million elderly people in our country live alone, many of whom are affected by health problems or material deprivation. For them, the holidays do not mean the joy of family gatherings, abundant meals, or peace of mind. On the eve of Easter, The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation stands by elderly people facing difficult life situations and who are part of the Fund for the Elderly, The Elderly Helpline, and Generations programs, with festive meals delivered to their homes, as well as food packages and hygiene products.

On Good Friday, 100 elderly people in Bucharest receive traditional hot meals — red-dyed eggs, drob , turkey roast, and pască — prepared by City Grill. This action is made possible thanks to the generosity of the restaurant group’s customers, who can contribute by donating a “waiting menu” to provide holiday meals for elderly people living alone and with low incomes. The Foundation also prepared packages containing food and essential products for these days, with the support of sponsors:

• Mega Image – Easter cakes, food products, and personal hygiene items
• Avicola Buzău S.A. – “Cocorico” meat products
• Albalact – dairy products
• Agroserv Măriuța SRL – “Lăptăria cu Caimac” dairy products
• Alpha Ned 2000 Exim SRL – protective sanitary masks

The solidarity action is carried out with the involvement of 35 volunteers, including employees of Adobe Romania, eager to support those who no longer have anyone by delivering the packages directly to their homes.

Similar actions are also taking place in other localities across the country, where another 500 elderly people receive material aid, with contributions from partners and sponsors Metropolitan Life, Plas Anticorosion, and Hochland Romania. The NGOs providing social services dedicated to elderly people supported by the Foundation operate in Alba, Argeș, Bistrița, Brașov, Cluj, Constanța, Mureș, and Tulcea counties.

Also on the occasion of Easter, 50 elderly people with precarious living conditions from The Elderly Phone social program receive social vouchers, each worth 200 lei, offered by the National Lottery Company of Romania. The Elderly Helpline is the only free and confidential national helpline dedicated to elderly people, through which, since the start of the pandemic, nearly 4,000 elderly people have received practical or emotional support.

A year ago, in March 2020, in the context of the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation launched the Fund for the Elderly to support the most vulnerable category of people — elderly people living alone and facing material hardship. More than 9,000 elderly people from various regions of the country have so far received support to cope with this difficult situation.

Individuals or companies who wish to support actions for elderly people can do so through a monthly donation of 2 euros by sending an SMS with the text SINGUR to 8844, by redirecting 3.5% of income tax, through online donations or direct transfers to the account RO77BACX0000000129312250 or through sponsorship.

We thank everyone who, in times like these and beyond, choose to stand by their fellow human beings, and we wish you holidays filled with light and peace of mind.

 

NGOs benefiting from the Easter action

Magic Seniors Association – Bucharest

Caritas Metropolitan Greek-Catholic Blaj Association, Cenade Day Center, Alba County

Diaconia International Aid Association, Children’s Day Center – Brașov

Orthodox Philanthropy Alba Association, Reghin Branch, Casa Maria II Day Center – Reghin, Mureș County

“Mâini Întinse” Association – Tulcea

“Oastea Domnului” Association – Gherla, Cluj County

Residential Home for Elderly People Mozăceni – DGASPC Sector 6, Bucharest

Dorcas Aid Romania – Cluj-Napoca

Filantropia Războieni, Saint Seraphim of Sarov Center – Războieni Cetate, Alba County

Buckner Foundation – Târnăveni, Mureș

White-Yellow Cross Foundation of Romania – Constanța

Innocents Foundation, “Micii Inocenți” Day Center – Bistrița-Năsăud

 

About The Fund for the Elderly

The Fund for the Elderly was launched in March 2020, in the context of the state of emergency and the imposition of social isolation as a preventive measure against COVID-19. The Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation activated a network of social and support services, expanding its own projects and supporting NGOs and civic initiatives dedicated to elderly people in difficulty. To date, the Fund for the Elderly has served the needs of over 9,000 vulnerable elderly people living alone from various areas of the country, contributing to managing the crisis caused by the pandemic.