This wonderful Greek couple serve food and love to hundreds of refugees and the homeless

All are welcome at Nikos & Katharina’s small restaurant “Home For All” on the Greek island of Lesbos, where thousands of meals a week are prepared for distribution among refugees and the homeless, and where they treat all their guests with love and dignity.

“Home For All” provides food, care, love and dignity to those who need it most

Ever since the first boats arrived on Lesbos, restaurateurs Nikos and Katerina have been giving everything they have to help. In a car filled with dry clothes and food, Nikos would set out looking for anyone arriving on the island who needed help – and sometimes return without even the shirt on his back, because he had given it away. What began as one caring couple doing what they could within their means has grown into a registered NGO dedicated to giving refugees a break from the stresses of living inside camps and a home cooked meal served with dignity care and love.

**Update March 2020** from Nikos & Katrina

“Due to the COVID-19 situation our restaurant is currently closed but our support to the refugee community continues. Our team now consists of refugees who live in the camp and is still active in reaching out to those in need; with social distance, from heart to heart. 

Please help us to continue our work by making a donation. Stay up to date by following us on Facebook. Thank you very much and we hope we will meet again soon!" –

Katrina and Nikos

Home: for those who don’t have one

It all began one afternoon in early 2014, when Nikos was visiting shops to sell fish he had caught earlier that day and he came across a large group of refugees who had just landed on shore. Wet, tired, and hungry, they were grateful to be alive but in need of a lot of support.

Moved by their journey and a drive to help them, Nikos used the money from the fish he just sold to buy them food, and gave them the clothes off his back. Upon his return home, he told his wife, Katerina about the experience, and she got to work right away in the kitchen, preparing 40 home cooked meals to bring to them.

Hours later, the food packed up and their car filled with every blanket and piece of clothing that they could spare, they found themselves searching the area where Nikos left them. Unsuccessful in their mission, they learned that the refugees had been detained by local police – the refugees weren’t allowed out, and Nikos and Katerina (nor their food) were allowed in.

At a loss as to what to do next, the couple drove to the beach where they always did their best thinking and talking, and reflected on the situation in Lesbos. Refugees were only just beginning to arrive at this point, and no one had any idea that in the months and years to come, thousands would be arriving every day (during the height of the crisis, some days the island received over 10,000 refugees). 

They remained at the beach after night fell, and soon, they heard voices coming from the water. After several minutes, a raft came into view – and this was their entry point to the crisis. After helping the cold, scared, and wet refugees ashore, they had a surprise for them – blankets, clothes, and 40 home-cooked meals.

After that, Nikos and Katherina never looked back.

As they say at Home — “Food equals love, and so, we food you.”

Together with their staff and friends, Nikos and Katerina created a community of locals, international volunteers, and refugees themselves who played a part in nights of keeping watch on the coastline, donating clothes and shoes, and providing food. Later their work involved producing thousands of meals a week in their small restaurant, for distribution among the refugees around Moria, the first camp where refugees are detained upon arrival. 

However, it bothered the couple that they would then see people eating on the ground, as if they were subhuman. This was not a system they wanted to be a part of. Instead, they began taking the refugees out of the camps to eat with them, as guests in their restaurant, family style. 

Since then, the program has transitioned from a simple restaurant into a Greek NGO dedicated to giving refugees a break from the stresses of living inside camps and a home cooked meal served with dignity and care. This is the most important thing they do – treat their guests with love and dignity. As they say, “Food equals love, and so, we food you.”

Home for All serves many groups now, and the list is always changing, depending on the needs on the island. They have music classes and English classes, access to WiFi and computers. They have volunteers who play with children while adults relax, and volunteers who talk with adults and play games altogether. 

During the summer, their guests swim at a nearby beach. They even host special events, like weddings and family celebrations, birthday parties, and Women’s night. 

Home for All doesn’t just feed its community, it is also a support hub for families and community members. A gathering point for donations of goods and emotional support, Home for All has been an integral part of the island’s well-earned reputation of offering a humanitarian aid during the refugee crisis that has crippled its economy. 

Whether it is in the form of giving clothes or baby carriers to new refugees on the island, or taking time away from the kitchen to offer a hug or a shoulder to lean on, HOME is more than just a restaurant. 

Check out their website for more details and follow them on Facebook.