Dutch bars and restaurants open doors to people in financial need: ‘heat & eat’ is heartwarming

Across the globe, more and more people can no longer keep up with the rise in energy prices and are cutting themselves off from gas. This also goes for the Dutch population. Catering establishments – currently mainly in Rotterdam – are now coming to the aid of people in need of money, on the initiative of do-gooders Bob Richters and Mireille van den Berg. Now that the days are getting shorter and colder, this initiative is heartwarming: heat & eat. Catering establishments from all over the country can join heat & eat via the website.

Rotterdam’s hospitality industry puts its money where its mouth is

Heat & eat is an initiative based on hospitality and generosity. Catering establishments open their doors to people who can heat their homes less or no longer at all, due to rising energy prices. The hospitality industry does not leave these people out in the cold, but invites them to come in. It is a completely obligation-free invitation, so you don’t have to order anything right away, but can just warm up. For an impression of the initiative, watch this video, made by Matthijs Jaspers, alias The Happy Activist (in Dutch).

Warm your hands to a donated cup of coffee

Guests are allowed to sit for a few hours without having to order anything. Customers who can afford it can donate money for vouchers for coffee, a cup of soup, or a whole meal. The guests who come to look for warmth can then order something ‘free’ to warm their hands. The idea of ‘sharing is caring’ therefore comes into its own very well.

Hotspot Hutspot

Heat & eat is part of the Hotspot Hutspot foundation. This foundation helps people by putting them to work in their restaurants. They help people to find opportunities for work or training. The first two pillars on their website are ‘no poverty’ and ‘zero hunger’. The heat & eat initiative fits in flawlessly with this.