El Teléfono de la Esperanza, with the collaboration of Samaniego, the group of chefs Eurotoques La Rioja and ZINIO Bodegas, organize the first Christmas Eve dinner in Logroño for people who are alone or feel lonely on such a special night.
What for many families is a moment of reunion, joy and celebration, for others the reality is very different. There are many people who, for different reasons, find themselves or feel alone on these very special dates. Older people, widows, single people, people who, due to various circumstances, are far from their families, when these days arrive, do not have that close family environment in which they feel accompanied and sheltered.
For this reason, el Teléfono de la Esperanza, within the “A tu lado” program, has organized a meeting to share Christmas Eve dinner with people who are in the same situation, enjoy the evening in company and, who knows, maybe start new friendships.
“We have wanted to launch this initiative for a long time, because we know that similar dinners are held in other cities and it is a very pleasant experience for people who, otherwise, would spend Christmas alone and probably sad about the situation in which they find themselves. ”. Magdalena Pérez Trenado, president of El Teléfono de la Esperanza ecounted in an interview with Cadena SER.
The dinner can be attended by anyone who feels lonely, who spends Christmas alone because their family is not here at the time, or for any other reason. People who want to spend a Christmas Eve in the company of others in the same situation and with volunteers and friends from the Telephone of Hope.
To sign up, all you have to do is request it by calling 941 24 49 48 or writing to larioja@telefonodelaesperanza.org and making an appointment at El Teléfono de la Esperanza to pick up the invitation. An invitation is required to attend. The registration period is open from November 28 to December 10 (in the mornings from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.)
ACCOMPANY THE LONELINESS
Unwanted loneliness is an increasingly present phenomenon in our society. People in this situation have very few or no significant relationships and feel enormous emptiness, sadness, fear… It’s something we tend to think happens to others, but it can happen to anyone at some point in life. In La Rioja, the Telephone of Hope has received almost 800 calls related specifically to unwanted loneliness so far this year.
If you feel lonely or know of someone who needs help in this regard, you can go to the “A tu lado” program of the Telephone of Hope, a space that provides support, relief and resources in the face of loneliness or isolation to people who need it.
