A social canteen that changes lives

In difficult times, there is a particularly acute need for places where people are accepted unconditionally. Our Social Canteen is just such a place — serving to support people who have found themselves homeless due to difficult life circumstances.

It's more than just lunch. It is a space for care, attention, and recovery.

The story of one life

A man from Armenia came to us. He moved to Ukraine during the collapse of the Soviet Union, when migration services did not yet exist. At that time, he did not obtain either an Armenian or a Ukrainian passport, and so he was left without any documents.

Without documents, he had no official job, no social protection, and no access to medical care.

When he came to us, he already had skin cancer. It all started with a small pimple that gradually began to fester. In eight months, the tumor grew to 12 centimeters in diameter. Until that moment, he had not sought help — not because he did not want to, but because hospitals refused him: as a citizen of another country without documents, he simply had no right to treatment.

We took up the case. First, we helped him obtain an Armenian passport — it took effort and money, but without this document, no further steps were possible. With his passport, we were able to get him admitted to the hospital.

The doctors performed radiation therapy and stopped the growth of cancer cells in one area. But then the cancer metastasized. Now we are fighting the third focus.

All this time, we have been dressing his wounds every day or every other day, buying medicine with our own money, and taking him to the hospital. There were times when we had to treat his wounds twice a day.

But despite everything, this man has changed. He began to pray. He came to know the Lord.
And every day he gives thanks—for the help, for the care, for not being alone.

His journey continues. But today he is no longer alone. And there are many such stories.

What is Social Idalnia?

Social Idalnia is a ministry that supports people who are homeless or experiencing critical circumstances. It is a project that reaches out to those who are going through a difficult period and need care, attention, and hope.

Here, everyone can get a warm home-cooked meal, clean clothes, a chance to wash, a haircut and shave, as well as first aid—bandages and wound treatment.

But the most important thing is not material support, but sincere communication, words of encouragement, and reminders that every person has value, dignity, and the right to a new chance.

Our volunteers serve people with open hearts, emphasizing the value of each person in the eyes of God. We believe that even in the most difficult circumstances, a person does not lose their dignity.

The mission continues to develop the project, expanding the possibilities for assistance so that everyone who comes feels acceptance, warmth, and care.

Because sometimes a single plate of hot food can be the beginning of a new life.