Food Security Greece Project #59872

Food for All

by Project Armonia

Project Report | Nov 25, 2025
Project Armonia - Food For All (November 2025)

By Laira Phylactou Bastow | Project Coordinator

Dear Supporter,

Once again, we would like to take the time to say a huge thank you from everyone here at Project Armonia in Athens, Greece. It's thanks to your generous support that we are able to continue our work supporting displaced communities, homeless people and other socially-marginalised groups.

A lot has happened during the last few months in terms of our education programmes.

We're so pleased to share with you that the fifth cycle of our Commis-Chef programme has been a huge success so far. It's been our busiest cycle yet - with 11 students now halfway through the training programme and on their way to becoming certified commis-chefs! The classes have been so popular that we've already finished registration for the next two cycles of the training programme so 2026 is looking to be an action-filled year.

In other exciting news, we're so pleased to announce that we have re-started our cooking workshops for unaccompanied minors. The purpose of the workshops is to help young asylum seekers develop nutritional knowledge and learn the basics of cooking as they approach adulthood. At the same time, it's a great opportunity for fun and group bonding, and (hopefully) sparking their enthusiasm for cooking!

In our kitchen, we've continued to witness a steady increase in the number of people in need of food support. In the last 6 months, the number of people in the local neighbourhood who have reached out to us for help has more than tripled. At the same time, we continue to work closely with our partner organisations to make sure the food is delivered to where it's needed most.

As the season changes so does our menu! Recent new additions include creamy courgette soup, cheesy vegetable risotto and herby lentil soup.

September: 4,651 meals

October: 4,244 meals

November: 4,305 meals

Thank you again for your generosity and support of people facing food insecurity and social exclusion in Athens.

If you have any questions about our work or how to get involved, please feel free to contact us on admin@projectarmonia.org. For more regular updates, please follow us on our social media @projectarmonia.

Warm regards,

The Project Armonia Team

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Sep 16, 2025
Project Armonia - Food for All (September 2025)

By Laira Phylactou Bastow | Project Coordinator

Dear Supporter,

A huge thank you from everyone at Project Armonia for your generous support! It’s through the kindness of people like you that we are able to continue our work supporting the most vulnerable communities here in Athens, Greece.

We're coming to the end of an extremely busy summer in our kitchen. Food insecurity continues to be a widespread issue in Athens – particularly for displaced communities and other socially excluded groups. Lack of access to food is especially a problem during the summer months as many social kitchens and local support groups are closed.

To cover this gap, our kitchen team worked tirelessly throughout the summer – more than doubling our average number of portions during August:

June: 2,018 meals

July: 2,854 meals

August: 7,026 meals

At the same time, we’re preparing to welcome a new group of students as part of the fifth cycle of our Commis-Chef training programme. We’re currently registering interested participants with the first class set for 3rd October!

Classes take place in our fully-licensed and professional kitchen, and are facilitated by our education coordinator – a professional chef. All graduates of the training course receive certification accredited by ACTA-Spin Off Aristotle University of Thessaloniki as well as the opportunity to receive necessary documentation to work in the culinary industry in Greece – ready to enter the employment market.

Following graduation, we collaborate with our network of entrusted partner organisations to provide graduates with employability support and assist them to find work within the sector.

Our classes are open to all students from migration background who are unable to afford course fees and are interested in developing a career in the culinary industry. Classes take place during the mornings during school hours to allow young parents to attend.

We can’t wait to welcome our new group of students and accompany them on their first steps into the world of cheffing. More updates to follow in our next report!

Thank you once again for your generosity and support of people facing food insecurity and social exclusion in Athens.

If you have any questions about our work or how to get involved, please feel free to contact us on admin@projectarmonia.org. For more regular updates, please follow us on our social media @projectarmonia.

Warm regards,

The Project Armonia Team

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Jun 18, 2025
Project Armonia - Food for All (June 2025)

By Laira Phylactou Bastow | Project Coordinator

Dear Supporter,

Thank you very much from everyone at Project Armonia! We are so grateful for your support – it is through the generosity of people like you that we are able to continue our work supporting the most vulnerable communities here in Athens, Greece.

It has been a busy period for us recently – both in our kitchen and our educational programmes.

Through local outreach and our collaborations with partner organisations working with homeless people and displaced men, women and children, we have served 18,907 nutritious meals so far this year – an average of 1,125 per week! Some new additions to our menu, and some of our guest’s favourites, have included beef burgers with roasted potatoes as well as gemista (stuffed peppers, a traditional Greek dish).

January: 4,088 meals

February: 3,638 meals

March: 3,197 meals

April: 4,799 meals

May: 3,215 meals

At the same time, education remains an urgent need for the displaced community in Athens, as indicated in a recent survey and report published by the UNHCR. This year at Project Armonia we were delighted to graduate the students of the third and fourth cycles of our Cooking Training Programme as Commis Chefs!

In total 35 people have participated in the programme so far, with all graduates receiving certification accredited by ACTA-Spin Off Aristotle University of Thessaloniki as well as the opportunity to receive all necessary documentation to work in the culinary industry in Greece – ready to enter the employment market. To ensure the programme’s long-term impact we provide ongoing employability support for participants in collaboration with partners. So far, already 44% of graduates who completed the course before May 2025 have found employment within the sector.

Meanwhile, we have been hosting regular workshops for children who reside at nearby shelters, filling our space with excitement and energy. These workshops act as a safe space for young people to learn how to nourish themselves as well as to be creative.

Thank you for your generosity and support of displaced and other marginalised communities in Athens. Our work would not be possible without you!

Warm regards,

The Project Armonia Team

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