European Parliament chefs to cook 3,000 meals a day for those in need

Parliament to offer free food and shelter to homeless and healthcare workers

Chefs at the European Parliament will cook 3,000 meals a day to feed the hungry and healthcare workers in the Brussels region, the EU institution announced on Wednesday.

EP President Davide Sassoli said that the parliament would also be making parts of their Brussels and Strasbourg buildings available to help house vulnerable people or patients in the fight against coronavirus, reiterating a pledge he had made five days ago.

Chefs working inside the parliament kitchen will cook 1,000 breakfasts, 1,000 lunches and 1,000 dinners to be handed out to health workers and impoverished people.

According to Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, the parliament's Brussels building could end up hosting up to 100 homeless people every night.

European Parliament president Davide Sassoli. Video: European Parliament

The decision is part of a deal struck between the EP and the Brussels region.

"We are close to those who suffer and those who commit themselves non-stop in hospitals to the towns and citizens of Brussels," Sassoli said.

Homeless people's already-precarious situation has been further complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, with donations and volunteers to shelters drying up and many public areas, including public toilets and showers, closed.

MEPs are currently working - and voting - from home, due to restrictions on movement imposed to limit the spread of the pandemic.