- Title: Hungary's Santa Factory is set to collect record amount of donations for Christmas
- Date: 8th December 2016
- Summary: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (DECEMBER 7, 2016) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF SANTA FACTORY EVENT FACILITY INTERIOR OF SANTA FACTORY WITH VOLUNTEERS CHILD PUSHING THROUGH TOY ONTO SLIDE BELT VOLUNTEER CHILD SORTING TOYS TOYS ON CONVEYOR BELT CHILDREN FROM CHILD PROTECTION INSTITUTE HELPING AT THE FACTORY CONVEYOR BELT TOYS ON LINE CHILD FROM CHILD PROTECTION INSTITUTE LOOKING AT TOY ON FACTORY BELT AND HUGGING IT TOYS ON BELT (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) FOUNDER AND ORGANISER OF SANTA FACTORY, ENDRE ZSOLNAI, SAYING: "In the first year we could help around 3,000 children. (Since then) this number has multiplied several times, 30 to 40 times. Now we can help several hundreds of thousands children each year. And each year our goal is at least to maintain this number but possibly increase it. We have a good chance to do this as this year we are now open for 20 days, more than before." VARIOUS OF SCHOOL CHILDREN BRINGING IN PACKAGES OF DONATIONS AND PLACING THEM ON CONVEYOR BELT TOYS ON BELT SCHOOL GIRL PUTTING BOX ON BELT TOY SCOOTER ON BELT VARIOUS OF STUDENTS PUTTING DONATIONS ON BELT (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) PUPIL, JANOS PESTI SAYING: "I have brought food, sugar, flour and Christmas candy." SCHOOL CHILDREN PLACING DONATIONS ON BELT (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) PUPIL, KAMILLA NAGY, SAYING: "I brought donations because I think poor people are also humans and have the right to live as well as we do." TOYS ON BELT VARIOUS OF VOLUNTEERS SORTING AND PACKING (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) VOLUNTEER, SZILVIA SZILAGYI, SAYING: "Really from the youngest to the oldest, people try to help the others here and I feel that it means that after all people can join together and be able to give something to the needy at least now before Christmas." VOLUNTEERS PUTTING BOX ON SCALE VOLUNTEERS WRITING WEIGHT OF BOX ON TOP
- Embargoed: 23rd December 2016 12:26
- Keywords: Christmas Hungary donations charity Santa Factory
- Location: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
- City: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
- Country: Hungary
- Reuters ID: LVA0015C0XS1L
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Hungary's Christmas charity festival, the Santa Factory, is in full swing under the roof of its translucent dome in Budapest. In its 12th year, the Santa Factory has grown into one of Europe's largest charity events of the Christmas season.
From the start the organisers of the Santa Factory decided not to collect any money, but accept only donations of food, cleaning products and good quality toys, clothes and books.
The Santa Factory mission is to support families living in deep poverty "irrespective of the reasons why they go hungry".
In a few years the Santa Factory grew nationwide by collecting donations at dozens of shopping centres. They also joined forces with the Post Office and these days anyone can send boxes of donations for free by simply addressing it to the Santa Factory.
While in the first years they collected a few thousands of boxes of donations, by last year they collected more than 125,000 kilos of donations.
"In the first year we could help around 3,000 children. (Since then) this number has multiplied several times, 30 to 40 times. Now we can help several hundreds of thousands children each year. And each year our goal is at least to maintain this number but possibly increase it. We have a good chance to do this as this year we are now open for 20 days, more than before," founder and organiser of Santa Factory, Endre Zsolnai, said.
Apart from collecting donations, the Santa Factory also organises visits of children living in child protection institutions. One such group of children happily joined in to help along the sorting belt. At the end of their visit each child could select a toy for themselves.
Many schools around Hungary organise trips to take the schoolchildren's donations to the Factory in Budapest.
One 4th grade class from northern Hungary brought many boxes of donations.
"I brought donations because I think poor people are also humans and have the right to live as well as we do," ten-year-old Kamilla Nagy said as she placed her donation on the belt.
Around 2,000 volunteers take part this year in the collections.
"Really from the youngest to the oldest, people try to help the others here and I feel that it means that after all people can join together and be able to give something to the needy at least now before Christmas," volunteer Szilvia Szilagyi said.
A large part of the donations are children's toys but people also bring food and various cleaning materials. The donations are distributed by their strategic partner Red Cross across the country to needy families and schools. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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