Meet refugees from the reception center at your dining table
Come & Eat
The municipality of Utrecht has several emergency shelters for refugees from various countries. To give residents a chance to escape the mass accommodation and meet Dutch people in a homely atmosphere, Eet Mee Come & Eat organises the Come & Eat initiative.
What is Come & Eat?
As a resident of Utrecht or one of the surrounding areas, you welcome a group of refugees for dinner at your home. You cook something tasty for your guests or cook together with them. You get to know the people behind the heart-breaking stories in the news. For them it’s often their first and welcome oppor tunity to get in touch with Dutch people and their culture.
“We had four guests. We started by doing some grocery shopping at an Arabic store. That was a real treat. Our guests then cooked us an excellent meal. They searched for Syrian hits on Spotify, and via FaceTime, we were introduced to family members in Syria. It was a wonderful evening, and we felt like guests in our own home.” – Ineke
“Very nice people, who were eager to practice their Dutch. We were able to communicate with the little Dutch we knew, using Google Translate. We’ll stay in touch.” – Gerdien
How can you join in with Come & Eat?
Register as a host address for Come & Eat, using the form below (you don’t have to make an account in the matching platform). We will create a tailor-made match for you, within the possibilities, then contact you to arrange a date for the dinner and match you with your guests. We provide you with addional tips to ensure that the dinner party is a success for you and your guests. And, of course, you can organise Come & Eat dinners more often.
Starting points
- You live in the city of Utrecht or the immediate vicinity.
- You will be hosting one, two or three (often male) individuals or a family.
- As a host, you will preferably pick up the guests yourself, and bring them back to the emergency shelter afterwards.
- You can pick up your guests by public transport or by car. There is parking space available. If you live close by, you can walk.