To celebrate the spirit of the Holidays, members of eFP Battle Group Latvia (eFP BG Latvia) delivered today hundreds of hot meals to the Sisters of Charity Soup Kitchen and St. Gertrude Old Church Soup Kitchen in Riga. In the previous years, members of the Battle Group have been involved in food deliveries in the run-up to the holiday season, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, they could not be physically present this time. Therefore, eFP BG Latvia had to come up with new and innovative ways to deliver the meals, which consisted of chicken breasts, potatoes, mixed vegetables with fresh fruit and dessert. All meals were bought through a fundraising campaign.
The meals were prepared and packed in Adazi and sent to Riga. All involved parties, eFP members and soup kitchen volunteers wore face masks while hand sanitizer was available for the drop-off. In all, dozens of members of eFP Battle Group were involved in the project, including planning, cooking the meals, packaging and delivering.
“For many families, Christmas is the time of year to gather with friends and family for a special meal. During this Holiday season, eFP Battle Group Latvia is helping to spread some Christmas Cheer by assisting those who may not have a warm home, the company of family, or food to celebrate. We are proud and committed to contributing to the well-being of the Latvian community by giving back to those who support us.”
-Keith Gale, Task Force Latvia Chaplain.
“Riga St. Gertrude Old Church distributed warm meals, prepared and delivered by NATO forces, to the socially vulnerable and low-income residents of Riga. We are extremely grateful to Keith Gale, Chaplain of the Canadian Armed Forces, for our continued cooperation over the years. We also thank the NATO Armed Forces for their warm meal donation to support the low-income residents of Riga.”
- pastor Krists Kalniņš
The eFP Battle Group Latvia is made up of military personnel from Albania, Canada, Czech Republic, Iceland, Italy, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. The Battle Group is integrated with the Latvian Mechanized Infantry Brigade and works hand-in-hand to deter, and if necessary, defend the people of Latvia from any potential aggression.
All images attached to this story are publicly available to media. Video footage (B-roll and interviews) are available upon request. Please contact MAJ Mairita Senkevicina at the Latvian Ministry of Defence (+371 6 7335067 or Mairita.Senkevicina@mod.gov.lv)