Some employees of BNP Paribas in the Netherlands donated their Christmas gifts to the homeless through the Salvation Army. Every year, the employees of BNP Paribas have several options to spend their Christmas gratification.  In 2007 and 2008,  more than ten percent of the employees of BNP Paribas in Netherlands donated their money to the homeless, the poor, the destitute and the hungry in Amsterdam City Centre.
Although there is a wide spectrum of social services in the Netherlands, many homeless people keep their distance, sometimes because of their long history of distrust, sometimes because of denial of their individual problems. Social sciences have done extensive research on the subject of  homeless people, but still their behaviour often remains a psychological enigma. The homeless want a `normal life’ but many of them nevertheless 0.2 % of them in the Netherlands remain in on the streets. The Salvation Army tries to fill this gap. One option these homeless people have is to knock on their door.

What happened with the money donated be the employees?
The amount was spent on socks, underwear, gloves and food. You might find that strange, but this is what the homeless desperately need to keep themselves warm during the cold months of winter. That is the most difficult time of the year for the homeless have to spend outside on the streets.

Why socks and underwear?
People often donate to The Salvation Army cloths like coats, trousers and sweaters, but seldom the badly needed underwear and gloves.

We donate the money through the foundation ‘Henny Tinga Fonds’ to De Haven. Koen Hendriks (the man with the blue shirt on the photograph) was team leader of De Haven in 2007. Koen bought the clothing, so desperately needed by the homeless for the winter months, at a wholesaler.

The address of De Haven is Hekelveld 8-10, Amsterdam. Hekelveld 10 is a very central place and opposite Central Station in Amsterdam. Hekelveld 10 is a side street between Nieuwendijk, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal and Spui. De Haven means ‘the harbour’ or ‘the entrance’, and they provide immediate care for people who just found themselves in on the streets. De Haven is a place where daily 55 of the homeless can stay for the night. Beside previous facility (De Haven) The Salvation Army helps the homeless with soup runs, breakfast clubs and provision of food and clothing, bath and shower facilities.