Volunteering & Donations to the 2026/27 Cold Aid
With the onset of the cold season, the winter relief effort is kicking off again this year. In many cities, emergency shelters are opening, cold-weather buses are on the road, and organizations are providing homeless people with basic necessities. For all of this to work, they rely on the support of dedicated people like you.
In this post, we’ll show you how you can help ensure that homeless people get through the cold winter months safely by dedicating a little time to volunteering or making a donation.
Contents
- Here’s What the Cold Weather Assistance Program Offers
- Get involved in the Winter Relief effort (via vostel.de)
- Donation for Assistance to the Homeless and Those Suffering from the Cold
- In case of an emergency: Here are some cold-weather assistance hotlines
Here’s what the Cold Weather Assistance Program offers
Between October and March, numerous organizations in Germany work to ensure that homeless people have access to warmth, shelter, and basic necessities during the cold months. Emergency shelters provide places to sleep, while cold-weather and warmth buses travel the streets to offer assistance in the form of food, hot drinks, or sleeping bags. Many initiatives have also established regular routes or meeting points that serve as important points of contact for those in need.
Volunteer in the Cold Aid effort (via vostel.de)
During the winter months, many organizations seeking to provide relief from the cold are looking for volunteers to help with reception duties, food distribution, or at clothing banks. Outreach programs on the streets and services such as shower buses and cafés also rely on helping hands.
If you’d like to volunteer right here in your community, you’ll find a small selection of projects supporting the homeless on vostel.de.
Opportunities to volunteer near you:
Berlin
Here are some ways you can volunteer in Berlin:
Throughout Berlin
Opportunities to volunteer throughout Berlin:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Berlin Homeless Assistance | Providing food and clothing donations to homeless people on the street |
| youngcaritas Berlin | Medical Care for Homeless People—Outpatient Clinic, Mobile Clinic, and Medical Housing |
Center
Opportunities to volunteer in Berlin Center:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Berlin City Mission | Please support us at the emergency shelter on Lehrter Str. |
| Berlin City Mission | Volunteers Needed for the Laundry Service for Homeless People |
Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf
Opportunities to volunteer in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Berlin City Mission | Volunteers Needed for the Weekend at the Zoo Train Station Mission |
| Berlin City Mission | Volunteers for workshops and guided tours on the topic of “Poverty and Homelessness” |
Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
Opportunities to volunteer in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Johanniter Cold Weather Assistance | Intake, Meal Service, Support Services, Clothing Bank |
| youngcaritas Berlin ‘s “Tuesday Bistro” | Food Distribution to Those in Need in Kreuzberg |
| Johanniter Accident Relief | Assignment at the Johanniter emergency shelter “Ohlauer 365” — Ohlauerstrasse 22 — Berlin 10999 |
| Berlin City Mission | Volunteers Needed to Serve Meals at the Emergency Shelter at the Container Terminal |
Lichtenberg
Opportunities to volunteer in Lichtenberg:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| oskar | volunteer agency | Recreation Coordinators Wanted |
Pankow
Opportunities to volunteer in Pankow:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| youngcaritas Berlin | Support the neighborhood initiative for people at risk of poverty |
| STK 118 | Support with Daily Life: Dealing with Government Agencies, Finding Housing |
Reinickendorf
Opportunities to volunteer in Reinickendorf:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Berlin City Mission | Help us provide emergency overnight shelter (with reimbursement for expenses) on Kopenhagener Street. |
Tempelhof-Schöneberg
Opportunities to volunteer in Tempelhof-Schöneberg:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Unionhilfswerk Berlin Foundation | Inspire people to get involved—become part of the “die freiwilligen” market team at Unionhilfswerk |
Dortmund
Here are some ways you can volunteer in Dortmund:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Gast-Haus Ecumenical Initiative for the Homeless, Inc. | Assistance with meal distribution for homeless people |
Frankfurt am Main
Here are some ways you can volunteer in Frankfurt am Main:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Caritas Association of Frankfurt, Inc. | Develop recreational and support programs in a housing project for people facing difficult life circumstances |
Hamburg
Here are some ways you can volunteer in Hamburg:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| GoBanyo Shower Bus | Coordinating guests and showers on site; distributing hygiene supplies and clothing |
| German Red Cross Mobile Clothing Distribution Center | Provide rides for the clothing bus, homeless bus, or blood drive; more options available upon request |
| German Red Cross Hamburg Harburg, Inc. | Help us help the homeless! |
Köln
Here are some ways you can volunteer in Cologne:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| “Kaffeekutsche” Private Initiative | Distribution of food and hot drinks in Cologne-Mülheim (every Mon. and Tue.) |
| AWO Cologne Office for Civic Engagement | Meal Preparation for Homeless People in Downtown Cologne |
Magdeburg
Here are some ways you can volunteer in Magdeburg:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Doctors of the World, Inc. | Health Care for People Without Health Insurance |
Stuttgart
Here are some ways you can volunteer in Stuttgart:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| LogInBus | Digital Counseling for People Living in Poverty |
Tübingen
Here are some ways you can volunteer in Tübingen:
| Organization | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Railway Station Mission | Help people in need at the train station |
You can also find more projects supporting homeless people at vostel.de.
Donation for Assistance to the Homeless and Those Suffering from the Cold
Donate to organizations in your city
Winter relief buses and organizations that assist the homeless rely on donations to provide warm meals, drinks, clothing, and sleeping bags to homeless people. You can find out exactly what donations are needed on the websites of the various organizations. We’ve put together a small selection for you here.
Augsburg
Berlin
Bergisch Gladbach / Refrath / Bensberg
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| “Die Platte e.V.”‘s Cold Weather Bus | Donations to Die Platte e.V. |
Bochum
Brandenburg an der Havel
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| DRK Brandenburg’s Cold Weather Bus | Donations for the DRK Brandenburg Cold Weather Bus |
Braunschweig
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| Malteser Heat Bus | Donations for the Malteser Heat Bus |
Bremen
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| Johanniter Cold Weather Bus | Donations for the Johanniter’s Cold Weather Bus |
Chemnitz
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| Chemnitz Assistance Bus | Donations for the Aid Bus |
Cologne
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| FDKS Cold Weather Bus | Donations for the FDKS Cold Weather Bus |
Detmold Lage/Lippe
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| Malteser Heat Bus | Donations for the Malteser Heat Bus |
Dortmund
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| Malteser Heat Bus | Donations for the Malteser Heat Bus |
Düsseldorf
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| “Good Night Bus” by vision:teilen & fiftyfifty | Donations for the Goodnight Bus |
Essen
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| German Red Cross, Essen | Donations for the German Red Cross in Essen |
Frankfurt Oder
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| DRK Cold Weather Bus | Donations for the DRK Cold Weather Bus |
Fribourg
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| DRK Cold Weather Bus | Donations for the DRK Cold Weather Bus |
Gladbeck
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| Maltese Heat Bus | Donations for the Malteser Heat Bus |
Halle (Saale)
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| Four Seasons Bus | Donations for the “Four Seasons” Bus |
Hamburg
Hanover
Heidelberg
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| Maltese Heat Bus | Donations for the Malteser Heat Bus |
Karlsruhe
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| German Red Cross Cold Weather Bus | Donations for the DRK Cold Weather Bus |
Kiel
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| Maltese Heat Bus | Donations for the Malteser Heat Bus |
Koblenz
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| Cold Bus: The Box | Donations for the Cold Weather Bus |
Lübeck
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| Warmth from the Heart Bus | Donations for the “Heartwarming Bus” |
Mainz
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| Rheinhessen Hilft e.V.’s Cold Weather Bus | Donations for the Cold Weather Bus |
Munich
Münster
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| Maltese Heat Bus | Donations for the Malteser Heat Bus |
Nuremberg
Oldenburg
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
Johanniter Cold Weather Bus | Donations for the Johanniter’s Cold Weather Bus |
Rostock
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Homeless Assistance Winter Bus | Donations for Homeless Assistance in Rostock |
Solingen
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Malteser Heat Bus | Donations for the Malteser Heat Bus |
Stuttgart
| Organization | How to Donate |
|---|---|
| DRK Cold Weather Bus | Donations for the DRK Cold Weather Bus |
Trier
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Caritas’ Cold Weather Bus | Donations for the Cold Weather Bus |
Ulm
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| DRK Cold Weather Bus | Donations for the Cold Weather Bus |
Wiesbaden
| Organization | Accessibility |
|---|---|
| Rheinhessen Hilft e.V.’s Cold Weather Bus | Donations for the Cold Weather Bus |
Use Donation Fences
Another simple way to help people during the cold season is through so-called “Gabenzäune”: There, you can leave weather-resistant food, clothing, or blankets that homeless people can take on their own. You can find a list of existing locations at Gabenzaun.de.
If your city doesn’t have a donation fence yet, here are instructions on how to set one up yourself and register it online.
Donate money to the homeless shelter through betterplace.org
In addition to traditional cold-weather assistance, there are many initiatives that provide long-term support to homeless people—for example, through medical care, women’s programs, or counseling services. On the donation platform betterplace.org, you’ll find a wide variety of such projects that you can support directly with a monetary donation.
In emergencies: Here you’ll find cold-weather assistance hotlines
If you come across someone who urgently needs help during the cold season, you can contact cold-weather assistance hotlines or cold-weather assistance buses. In our article on this topic, you’ll find not only cold-weather assistance hotlines in many German cities but also a brief guide on what to look out for.
Thank you very much for your dedication to the Cold Weather Relief program!
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