Food in Times of Crisis: A Practical Theological Study on Emergency Relief Provided by Churches in Amsterdam Zuidoost during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Before the Covid-19 crisis, churches organized many activities
in De Nieuwe Stad in Amsterdam Zuidoost, including serving
free meals for everyone who wanted them. When this was
no longer possible because of the Covid-19 measures, the
international church, Treasures International Ministries, and
Diaconie Evangelisch Lutherse Gemeente Amsterdam decided
to work together and start delivering meals to people’s
houses. Some of these recipients were enlisted through the
network of one of the churches, but most were enlisted by
care organizations. As one, relatively small project, operating
alongside other aid initiatives, the meals project soon
received many more enlistments than anticipated, and the
Covid-19 crisis lasted longer than expected, which raised
questions regarding the underlying needs and how to proceed
in the long term. Together with the Protestant Theological
University, they decided to research the question:
How does the meals project of Treasures and Lutherse
Diaconie expose structural needs in Amsterdam Zuidoost,
and how can these needs be addressed in a sustainable
manner?
This research is composed of two parts...