Thanks to a charity offering worth HUF two hundred million, almost two thousand single-parent and large families living in difficult situations were able to go on vacation from mid-July to September thanks to the Pro Filii Foundation, which coordinates the charitable activities of the Mészáros Group.
The Mészáros Group informed MTI on Friday that single parents and large families were able to vacation for the fourth time this summer, this time at Hunguest Hotel Freya in Zalakaros and Hunguest Hotel Erkel in Gyula.
In the period from mid-July to September, families could vacation in five-day shifts with half-board, they added.
According to the announcement
1,814 people were hosted in Hunguest Hotels' hotels in Gyula and Zalakaros, of which 313 were single parents and 193 were large families.
NOE and the Single Parent Center filled the available beds in the hotels in a ratio of approximately half to half, they wrote.
Speaking about the vacation opportunity provided to single parents and large families, Krisztina Tóth, Secretary General of the Pro Filii Foundation recalled, according to the announcement:
"this was the fourth time that single-parent and large families could take a vacation free of charge with the support of the Butcher Group, so more than ten thousand people could take advantage of this opportunity. The challenges of recent years, the pandemic, inflation and the energy crisis have particularly affected parents with several children or raising their children alone, who are forced to spend more and more on living expenses, and the family coffers no longer have access to vacations and recreation. Thanks to the program, however, many of them were able to go on vacation"
- they wrote in the statement.
Krisztina Tóth said that the lucky families were able to rest in the accommodations of Hungary's market-leading rural hotel chain: Hunguest Hotel Freya and Hunguest Hotel Erkel are also located in spa towns with a direct connection to the spa.
The hotel chain provided half-board for the participants, they added.
In order to successfully run the program, the foundation cooperated again this year with the National Association of Large Families (NOE) and the Single Parent Center.
Katalin Kardosné Gyurkó, president of the National Association of Large Families, explained this year's holiday as a summary:
"it says everything about the importance of the holidays supported by the Pro Filii Foundation that the oversubscription is nearly tenfold every year. We also know that those who have already been, without exception, want to participate in the program again. It was the same this year. The enthusiasm and joy of the families is understandable, because if someone cooks for 5-10 people every day, half-board is a lot easier for them, and for those who haven't been able to vacation with their children for years, such a vacation becomes an unforgettable memory. On behalf of this year's approximately 650 children and their parents, I thank you for this generous offering, because it is not the news, nor the statistics, but the souls of the children and their parents that keep it, and that is more important than anything else."
- added the president of NOE, according to the statement.
Anna Nagy, the founder and manager of the Single Parent Center, said in connection with the program that ended at the end of August:
"what this holiday means to single-parent families is mostly reflected in the feedback they send. One of the mothers vacationing in Gyul, for example, said that the spa provided an endless experience for the children, who splashed all day on one of the best beaches in the country. The meals were a real gastronomic experience, and the hotel staff were extremely polite. A mother visiting Zalakaros was grateful for the fact that the time spent relaxing brought a smile to her daughter's face and she returned home with unforgettable experiences."
says the announcement.
In view of the great success, the Pro Filii Foundation, which unites the charitable activities of the Mészáros Group, intends to continue the free holiday program for single parents and large families next year, they wrote.
MTI
Photo: Origo