On the occasions when we give out food on bicycles, we don’t always have the opportunity to talk to or spend longer time with our clients in need, because in the space of just a few hours we usually distribute 120-150 portions of food.
Therefore we came up with the idea of Gerilla Piknik. In August 2015 we met homeless people 18 times during a special campaign. We put blankets down next to the homeless people and organized surprise picnics. We took home-made food and deserts because we are convinced that everybody needs substantial and healthy food. But the most important thing was spending time together, eat together and having a conversation going.
For years now we are working for dismantling the negative stereotypes attached to homelessness. The Piknik was a great occasion in this regard for those who participated. Many people told us afterward that their opinion changed in a profound way about homeless people and they didn’t think so negatively about them anymore. They could get to know individual stories and gained a deeper understanding of the everyday life of these people.
We organized a panel discussion at the end of the project. We wanted to pass on best practices and talk about the experience we had. Our other goal was to start a converstaion between NGOs and social service providers. The participants were BMSZKI (Methodology and Social Centre of Budapest), Budapest Bike Maffia and Food Not Bombs.
The project was also supported by the Norvegian Civil Foundation.
