The days are busy at the canteen managed by Stëmm vun der Strooss (“Voice of the Street”) in the capital. Besides food, the main priority at the moment is ensuring that people have enough to drink.
At 11.30am, the doors open at No 7 in Rue de la Fonderie in Hollerich. On Tuesday’s menu: Chicken burger with mashed potatoes and veggies, or salad. But the first thing people get when they enter the canteen is a bottle of water.
Bob Ritz from Stëmm vun der Strooss explains that the current high temperatures make life “even more difficult for those living on the street”. For this reason, the association’s volunteers are distributing water bottles and reminding visitors of the importance of drinking enough water. In addition to water, Stëmm vun der Strooss also distributes reusable water bottles, ice cream, and fruit salad, according to Ritz.
When temperatures are particularly high, the association adapts its menu and prepares cold dishes and salads. Visitors can also benefit from a terrace with garden furniture and parasols. Vulnerable people in particular face certain health risks during heat waves.
“We tell them that they need to hydrate because they sometimes forget that. There are also doctors that stop by once a week on a pro bono basis to inform people on how they can protect themselves from the heat,” Ritz explains.
Stëmm vun der Strooss also distributes sunscreen. Besides Hollerich, the association also operates a canteen in Esch-sur-Alzette. In Ettelbruck, volunteers distribute soup and sandwiches in a car park near the railway station. A new Ettelbruck location is set to open in September.
Between 250 and 300 people visit the social restaurant in Hollerich every day. Visitors not only include homeless people, but also those who have a home and even a job but still cannot make ends meet at the end of the month, according to Ritz.
Our colleagues from RTL Radio spoke with a woman who visits the social restaurant almost every day with her husband. She reveals that the couple have been coming to Stëmm vun der Strooss since 2015, when they “ran into financial difficulties” and were left without an income for an entire year. The woman states that the couple have made “many friends” in Hollerich and that the atmosphere is generally very friendly. At the social restaurant, the couple feels “wholeheartedly cared for”.
95% of the social restaurant’s funding is provided by the Ministry of Health. For the rest, Stëmm vun der Strooss relies on donations from private individuals and partner organisations.
