June 1, 2013
In Cluj-Napoca, we open the first kitchen
”O Masă Caldă”
On June 1, 2013, a group of volunteers not affiliated with any association, formed at the initiative of Cosmina Paul, cooked for the first time 50 hot meals at the canteen of the Town Hall on Emil Zola Street in Cluj-Napoca, given into the Museum Square to a group of people with low incomes. Since then, every Thursday, at 16, more than 50 hot meals are distributed in the Museum Square.
The initiative group consisted of: Cosmina Paul, George Jiglău-Labunet, Remus Florea, Bogdan Radu and Adrian Lăzărescu. Over time, they were joined by volunteers from the Rotary Visio Club, through Mihai Serban, as well as students from the Faculty of Political, Administrative, and Communication Sciences in Cluj.
2014
Cluj-Napoca, the 2nd kitchen
It has been open by Remus, at the Emergency Social Center, along with the doctors of Child Psychiatry, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, where they had prepared a hot meal for the residents of the center, the elderly, and families with children, evicted and left homeless, who can’t afford a house because of the very little or who don’t have a family. Here, every Thursday at 16 O’clock, they are served 50 hot meals, prepared in the kitchen of the center.
Remus Florea remained involved until the beginning of 2015, when, with the departure to the UK, he handed over the Coordination of the kitchen to Roxana Elena Ferezan, whose dedication and solidarity are a model for all.
October 2014
Cluj-Napoca, the 3rd kitchen
In October 2014, Raimonda Born takes over the coordination of the activities of the Canteen of the city Hall of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, while George Jiglău starts the coordination of the 3-rd at the Cafeteria of the Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences, where, every Sunday, between 14:00 and 16:00, approximately 100 meals are made for the children from the Christian Union, the Family Refound, and the Romanian Foundation for Children, Community and Family. George is the most sophisticated of us in preparing recipes and getting the lowest prices.
November 2014
Bucharest, the 4th kitchen O Masă Caldă
Cosmina’s departure to Bucharest means extending the program in the capital, where, with the signing of the protocol with the General Directorate of social assistance, the kitchen at the OMINIS Center opens, with 100 meals for retirees from Apărătorii Patriei, every Saturday. The coordinators of this kitchen are Cosmina Paul and Marius Capotă.
April 2015
The Civic Initiative Group is transformed into the Association O Masa Calda!
The establishment of the association was a necessity, as the activity was becoming more and more extensive and needed a legal form in the relationship with sponsors and donors. Because, otherwise, everything is carried out voluntarily. The founding members of the association are Cosmina Paul, Roxana Elena Ferezan, Raimonda Boian, and George Jiglău-Labunet. The censor of the association is Delia Kanya.
2015
Bistrița, the 5th kitchen
In spring 2015, in Bistrita, Gela Neamțu, together with Nicoleta Butuza, Mariana Isprava, and Amalia Dâmbu, open the fifth kitchen. Here, every Tuesday, between 70 and 95 hot meals are cooked for a group consisting mainly of disadvantaged families with many children.
June 2015
Bucharest, the 6th kitchen
In June 2015, with the second anniversary of the start of the program ‘O masă caldă’, we opened our second kitchen in Bucharest. Here, every Wednesday, more than 100 sandwiches are prepared and shared by the Association of Street Children Parade in the areas of Unirii and Tineretului.
2015
Satu Mare, the 7th kitchen
At the end of 2015, our story reaches Satu Mare, where Simona Gavrilă takes all the steps together with the local authorities and brings a hot meal to the beneficiaries of the night shelter within the Emergency Social Center for Adults. Here, every Friday, between 50 and 90 servings of food are cooked, for which Simona mainly uses ingredients bought from local producers, respecting the principle that has consecrated US: 2 lei/portion.
October 2015
Bucharest, the 8th kitchen offers food to the Children of Ferentari
Since October 2015, we offer a hot meal to the children from Ferentari, too They play football on Saturdays, with ‘father‘ Valeriu, Valeriu Nicolae, at the General School no. 136. ’Tablets work wonders’, Valeriu tells us. If Darius did not know how to write and read last year, this year he has the 2nd prize.
For a long time, Valeriu is simply, directly, and honestly involved in the community as deaf, crazy, and courageous in drawing attention to corruption and incompetence at the state level and NGOs.
April 2016
Cluj-Napoca, the 9th kitchen
The temporary accommodation center, located in the administration of Cluj-Napoca City Hall, houses 67 people and becomes the 9th kitchen a Hot Table. For the residents of the center, every Thursday, a team of volunteers in teambuilding or CSR, prepares dinner. We started this new approach with the help of Cluj-based companies AS Contábile, Recognos, and Remax Concept Cluj, who assumed one week a month, both volunteering and the cost of the ingredients.
Cluj-Napoca, Emergency Social Center. Here, the responsibility of preparing hot meals for residents is taken over by Dana Popa and Edina Molnar, who shared, like sisters, the days of Thursdays.
2017
Bucureşti, OMCVan
At the beginning of the year, we were asked how we can offer more hot meals. After 3 days of respite, I answered: with a mobile kitchen, because it is not legally allowed to transport food from one sector to another, because a single location limits the access of beneficiaries and volunteers, because we, #OMC volunteers, can do even more good.
Thus, on Friday, June 15th, at 18.30, #OMCVan, the mobile kitchen of the Association ‘O Masă Caldă’ arrived in Bucharest. It is our kitchen, of all #OMC volunteers in which we will cook for those in need, wherever they are.
The miracle happened with the help of Cosmin Hossu, an old friend and donor of our association, who offered to turn an old ambulance into a #OMCVan. Together with Mihai Coroiu, they built everything according to our constraints, the limited amount of money, and the need to cook a hundred servings each time, without semi-preparations. For this, we bought an old ambulance from Germany, ergonomic and sanitized space, thought to accommodate people. Connected to the normal outlet, with a counter, a tripod kettle and a tank for outdoor cooking, and 99 other great ideas. Painstaking, patience, and expertise. That’s how the OMCVan’s adventure began. Coordinators: Vica Șchipor, Adrian Gîrleanu and Filip Bunea.
Raluca Apostol and Monica Abagiu joined the coordination teams of the activities in Bucharest.
2017
Cluj-Napoca, Temporary Hosting Center
Here the “adoption” of Thursdays by Cluj companies is preserved, 2017 bringing an exchange of teams. Onyx Beacon and Sykes join our project and share the weeks with the girls from AS Contabil and Caius Tuturugă. Also here, with the help of our donors, we modernized the kitchen furniture and bought new equipment.
2017
Cluj-Napoca, The Emergency Social Center
Here, too, we modernized the kitchen equipment and furniture so that the work of the volunteers is easier. Autumn brought a change, Orsolya (Orsi) Albert Antal took over the coordination with Dana, instead of Edina Molnar who took our project to the countryside 
2017
Adjud, the 10th kitchen O Masă Caldă
The fall of 2017 brings a new extension of our project, to Adjud, where Larisa Sorea took over the task of coordinating the volunteer teams every Tuesday. Here it is cooked for 85 people in need. And, somehow, from here come the most impressive snapshots captured by volunteers.
2017
Constanta, the 11th kitchen
A heartfelt group of volunteers, coordinated by Oana Dinu, cooks every Saturday, in the space offered by the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Constanța, 45 portions of hot food.
2018
O Masă Caldă Association developed, in Cluj-Napoca, with the help of Andrea Rusu and George Gînguţă, the ShareFood application, a tool to combat food waste, available for android phones and systems. This application aims to bring together legal entities that are left with uneaten cooked food, and legal entities that, by the nature of their mission, give food to vulnerable people.
May 2018
Zalău, the 12th kitchen
Radu Pădurean made his commitment and responsibility to organize O Masă Caldă in Zalău, so the first hot meals were prepared on May 18, together with the SC Alfa Software team, which, monthly, returns to the kitchen kindly provided by Mrs. Rodica Costache, director of the “Voievod Gelu” Technological High School. Here, every week, 100 servings of food are prepared for the beneficiaries identified by Cosmina Paul in Zalău.
November 2018
In Cluj-Napoca, we accepted the challenge of having our kitchen and cooking every day, from Monday to Friday, for all beneficiaries, in one place. This was possible with the support of the Cluj-Napoca City Hall and the Social and Medical Assistance Directorate within it, which provided us with an appropriate space in which we arranged and equipped, from our funds, the O Masă Caldă community kitchen. The partnership with the Cluj municipality continues by supporting the monthly expenses with utilities.
Thus, since November 1, 2018, the number of hot meals prepared in Cluj-Napoca has increased to 1250 per week.
At OMC Bistrita, since October 2018, the Coordination of activities was taken over by Adriana Ignat, who continues the work started by Gela Neamțu at the Sfânta Filofteia Canteen every Tuesday, when about 90 hot meals are cooked for disadvantaged families with many children.
OMC Satu Mare. The activity continues to operate on the premises of the C-tin Brancusi Technological High School in Satu Mare. Every Friday, volunteers meet to prepare a hot meal for the beneficiaries of the Night Shelter. This year, more than 3,000 hot meals were prepared.
OMC Adjud. The activity continues in collaboration with the canteen of the Adjud City Hall, where hot meals are prepared every Tuesday for 70 people, homeless people, people with disabilities, elderly people, and families with many children.
2019
OMC Cluj-Napoca. 52 weeks, 65,000 hot meals, and almost 700 volunteers who come to our kitchen in Cluj-Napoca! Minimum 250 hot meals/day, Monday to Friday, for:
70 children from daycare centers managed by FRCCF, Family Refound, and The Cover of the Mother of God
110 meals for residents of centers under DASM (Temporary Accommodation Center and Emergency Social Center)
Minimum 70 casseroles that we distribute to people who come at 15.00, in the Museum Square, later in the I. L. Caragiale Park.
OMC Adjud. About 100 hot meals were prepared per week for people who cannot get around and homeless people.
OMC Bucharest: 200 hot meals or sandwiches/week, at the General School no. 134 in Ferentari and at the Ominis Canteen.
OMC Bistrița. Since July, the activity here has ended, due to the lack of adequate space for preparing hot meals.
OMC Constanta suspended its activity due to a lack of a coordinator.
OMC Satu Mare: 90-100 hot meals/week for the beneficiaries of the night shelter in the city.
OMC Zalău: 70-100 hot meals/week for children and adults, vulnerable people, with low incomes, prepared by volunteers from all backgrounds: teachers, doctors, banking environment, students, it, Prosecutor’s office, notary public, etc
2020
2020 – a hard year
On February 28, 2020, the community Canteen O Masa Calda Satu Mare was inaugurated, located on str. Rodnei no. 26, in a space made available to the Association of the Greek Catholic Parish of St. Francis. To be able to function, work was carried out on partitioning and equipping with furniture and professional kitchen equipment. The canteen provides sanitary flow and has a dining room with a capacity of 40 people.
The volunteers here continue cooking in the catering system for the beneficiaries of the Night Shelter and for any other target group within the radius of the municipality or in need of Satu Mare County, among which we remember single elderly people and large families with modest incomes.
At Adjud, the Covid 19 pandemic interrupted our activity, but at Easter and throughout the year, when it was possible, we offered non-perishable food. The cost of non-perishable food being 10 times more expensive than what is needed to cook a hot meal, led us not to continue this way, because we could not support ourselves financially. In order not to deprive our beneficiaries of a hot meal, we collaborated with restaurants in the city of Adjud to continue our volunteer activity, and on 28.11.2020 we received access to the cafeteria of the Balş technological High School in Adjud, which is why we moved our activity on Saturday. We chose to make this change, because in the canteen of the town hall we no longer received access, and on Saturday we also chose it in the hope that as many volunteers as possible will participate because, in a small town, this spirit is not yet developed. We also started working with the Bronxpeople Association, receiving their food from Metro and the local Roman Food Bank. We thank on this path all the sponsors and volunteers who understood that only together, even during the pandemic, we can give a hot meal, with smiles and good cheer without endangering someone’s life, but on the contrary, give life expectancy, both to beneficiaries and volunteers.
2020
O Masă Caldă in a state of emergency meant:
In Cluj-Napoca:
- 10 weeks in which we prepared 11, 478 hot meals, together with 160 volunteers.
- 14 volunteers who divided their city and took food to the beneficiaries, or searched for the homeless through the city (those who escaped the vigilance of the gendarmes).
Alex Lupea, Andi Daiszler, Bogdan Ciocnadi, Carmen Moldovan, Dan Bazu, Fábián Kristóf Szabolcs, Gabi Kiss, Irina Ionescu, Paula Hulpoi, Radu Dranda, Radu Moga, Ramona Raicu, Raul Stef and Tamaris Emeline.
They are our heroes! There are those who, voluntarily, have given their time to take the hot meals cooked in the community kitchen by other volunteers, and they, our heroes, go “home” to the beneficiaries.
At Satu Mare: 10 weeks in which a team of 15 volunteers prepared 3000 hot meals for the beneficiaries of the Night Shelter.
Bucharest, Adjud, and Zalău, since they depended on social canteens, suspended their activity during the period when they were closed.
