Bishop Teodosije opens soup kitchen in Metohija village of Vidanje

With the blessing of the administrator of the Diocese, Bishop Teodosije, together with priests Bogomir Stević and Slobodan Trajković, today opened a sixth soup kitchen in the village of Vidanje in Metohija, which will provide food for 250 socially most vulnerable persons on the territory of municipality of Istok and Klina. This soup kitchen and five others that are working in other parts of Kosovo and Metohija are operated by the NGO "Majka devet Jugovića" (Mother of the Nine Jugoviches), which is headed by presbytera Svetlana Stević. The opening of the first soup kitchen in Metohija is another in a series of efforts by the Diocese of Raška and Prizren and the NGO "Mother of the Nine Jugoviches" to help those who are most in need of help. The NGO "Mother of the Nine Jugoviches" provides regular meals for 1700 socially vulnerable persons in Kosovo and Metohija.

In his homily after the consecration of the kitchen, Bishop Teodosije those present of the evangelical words "As you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me" (Mat 25:45), emphasizing Christ's teaching that in addition to the commandment of love toward God, we should also love our neighbors as ourselves. The Bishop also thanked the donors from America, Australia, brothers from Republika Srpska as well as all those participated in the campaign "One SMS for one meal for the hungry in Kosovo and Metohija".


The soup kitchen in Vidanje is modernly equipped and has a new bakery. Facilities for the kitchen were provided free of charge by Mr. Ranko Kostić from the village of Vidanje, one of the first Serb returnees to this Metohija village. The kitchen will employ five young people from Vidanje (two bakers, a cook, a warehouse worker and a driver, who will deliver food within a radius of 75 km. in the municipalities of Klina and Istok.

The soup kitchen in Vidanje is intended primarily for Serb returnees whose houses are still under construction and who have not yet been able to re-establish household functions. For now the kitchen will provide daily meals for socially vulnerable persons in Klina and the villages of Vidanje, Klinavac, Berkovo, Drsnik, Žač, Dolac Rudice, Pograđe, Biča, Grabac, etc. (a total of 13 villages) and will service about 250 people.

About one hundred people took part in the opening ceremony and consecration of the soup kitchen in Vidanje, including representatives of Italian and Slovenian KFOR and the international offices of UNMIK, the EU, OSCE and EULEX.