Journal Frankfurt News – “For many Frankfurt children, Christmas is not a nice time”

The Frankfurt Children’s Office is expanding its traditional Christmas campaign to reach even more children. Cash donations are now being collected for this purpose.

The Frankfurt Children’s Office has been organizing the Christmas campaign since 1996 and every year gives presents to children affected by poverty. In recent years, around 5,000 children have been made happy in this way during Advent. In order to reach even more children with the campaign, it is now being expanded and changed. Instead of individual gifts, monetary donations will be collected in the future and distributed by the Children’s Office to the respective institutions.

Behrens: “For many Frankfurt children, Christmas is not a nice time”

Benjamin Behrens from the Children and Family Center (KiFaZ) is pleased that the campaign will enable “a little more Christmas for children affected by poverty”: “Because for many Frankfurt children, Christmas is not a nice time,” as he knows. Families often cannot afford presents and the children then have to listen to what their friends have received. For him, it is clear: “How we treat the weakest in our society shows the image we have of ourselves and our fellow human beings.”

From Sabine Ernst’s point of view, from the “Schaworalle” daycare center, the new campaign fits “much better into this busy phase at the end of the year,” even if filling out the wish cards was a “cherished tradition.” More importantly, however, is that “no facility has to be left out anymore” and even more children will benefit.

Juan Aragon from Frankfurter Volksbank Rhein/Main welcomes “the fact that the campaign is now to be expanded”. As a partner of the Christmas campaign from the very beginning, the bank is increasing its support from 5,000 to 7,500 euros.

Weber: “Many are surprised that almost one in five children in Frankfurt lives in poverty”

In total, around 23,000 children in Frankfurt are affected by poverty, most of them from poorer districts such as the Bahnhofsviertel, the Gutleutviertel or Bonames. The campaign is also intended to help “raise awareness of the issue of child poverty” throughout the city, as Sylvia Weber (SPD), head of the education department, points out.

According to Weber, “many people are surprised when they learn that almost one in five children in Frankfurt lives in poverty.” It is time to “take more decisive action against this” and “enable children affected by poverty in our city to have a better life.”

Frankfurt Children’s Office wants to reach more children in poverty

The reorientation of the Christmas campaign is primarily intended to overcome logistical and personnel bottlenecks in order to enable a larger number of social institutions and companies to participate in the campaign. In principle, this should make it possible to reach all 23,000 children affected by poverty.

All institutions where at least 80 percent of the children receive state aid or are affected by poverty can take part. Donors can see which institutions have received money. The institutions can then use the money to organize a celebration, give gifts to the children individually or organize group gifts, activities or similar. They can therefore decide for themselves what is possible for them in terms of logistics and personnel and what they can manage.

Info
Donations can be made at any time: Donations received too late for 2024 will be used for next year’s Christmas campaign.

Donation account:
City of Frankfurt am Main Children’s Office
IBAN: DE65 5019 0000 0009 5133 02
BIC: FFVB DEFF XXX
Bank: Frankfurter Volksbank
Purpose for the Christmas campaign: WA 490010-49001004

Further information and a QR code for donations can be found here.