For many seamen, Christmas is the loneliest time of the year. No matter where a seaman may come from or what religious background he has, one of his greatest desires is to spend Christmas at home with his family. But due to various reasons this is often not possible. We regularly meet seamen, who have not been able to be at home for Christmas for up to 15 years. This is the time in which most seamen feel their loneliness and isolation the most. Can you image what it must mean to such a person, if in a strange port people he doesn't know come to visit his ship to give him a present?
Every year we hand out Christmas gifts to the seamen. If you would help us with this, you can either donate money, which we will use to purchase items to pack gifts, or send us one or more filled and gift-wrapped shoe boxes. Items you can put into a gift for seamen are:
- chocolate
- candy
- toothbrush and toothpaste
- a woolen hat and gloves
- deodorant for men
- shampoo and shower gel
- a Christmas card (written in English)
We normally hand out the gifts during the four weeks prior to Christmas. If you would like to join us and help to distribute them, feel free to contact us.