A new incentive has recently launched in Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík, that provides a free meal between 18:00 and 20:00 Monday to Thursday for Ukrainian refugees at the premises of the advertising agency Pipar\TBWA.
According to Valgeir Magnússon, Pipar\TBWA’s Chairman of the Board, the building will be open Monday to Thursday between 18:00 and 20:00 in the premises located at Guðrúnartún 8 in downtown Reykjavík.
The incentive was conceived between Magnússon and Sveinn Rúnar Sigurðsson, a doctor that is hosting two refugees that escaped the conflict in Ukraine. About the conception, Magnússon explains, “I was at Sveinn’s house yesterday where he had a full house of women and children from Ukraine, which got me thinking about how I could help.”
Iceland’s food industry is also joining with Magnússon to help provide the meals, “I have talked to most of the wholesalers in the country and no one has said no to me,” he explains, with the initial dinner being supplied by KFC.
Magnússon explains that the goal is to create a sanctuary where people can come and communicate and share their experiences. As well as provide a space for Ukrainian families already living in Iceland to connect with those relocating to the county.
A number of clothing items are also regularly donated to the Pipar\TBWA premises, providing clean and warm clothes for those in need.
More information about the initiative and Iceland’s efforts to help Ukrainians in need can be found here.