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Cold Aid 2024/25 | Emergency numbers, donation & volunteering opportunities

With the beginning of the cold season, the Kältehilfe (Cold Aid) starts again this year all over Germany. This means that emergency shelters for homeless people will open again and Kältehilfe buses will be on the streets in many cities.

The associations and organisations behind the shelters, the Kältehilfe buses and the care of homeless people depend on the support of committed people like you for their work. Therefore, in this article we show you how you can help with time, money and attention to bring homeless people safely through the cold season.

Content

  1. What Cold Aid is all about
  2. How you can help: Cold aid hotlines & donation opportunities in your city
  3. Get involved on site in cold & homeless aid

What Cold Aid is all about

Between the beginning of November and the end of March, organisations throughout Germany offer cold aid (Kältehilfe) for homeless people. In addition to emergency shelters, this also includes so-called warmth or cold buses (Wärmebuse or Kältebusse). They travel the streets to regularly provide people with food, warm drinks, sleeping bags, and more. Many cold aid initiatives have set up regular tours or meeting points for this purpose, giving people a fixed point of contact where they can not only warm up, but also talk about their everyday worries and problems. The cold aid is organised differently in each region. Here we show you how you can support them in your area.

How you can help: Cold aid hotlines & donation opportunities in your city

Use Cold Aid hotlines

If you are outside in the city during the coming weeks, keep your eyes open for people who are suffering from the cold and may need help. Even if it takes some effort at first, talk to them in a friendly way and ask if they need anything. If the person concerned wants to accept help, you can directly contact Kältehilfe buses in some cities. They will note the location and arrange for initial supply. In serious cases, you should of course call 112 directly, for example if a person is obviously injured or unresponsive.

Donate for the Cold Aid

In order for the Kältehilfe buses to regularly provide homeless people on their tours with warm drinks, food and e.g. clothes, they depend on donations. You can see exactly which donations in kind or money are needed on the websites of the respective organisation.

Cold Aid services in your city

City
Organisation
Availability
& Donation Info
BerlinBerliner Kältehilfe

(Kältehilfe app in the Google Play Store or iOS App Store shows free sleeping places, night cafés & food offers)

Cold aid hotline: 0157 80597870
(Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00)

Phone: 030 343 971 40
(daily 19:00 – 23:00)
Donate for Berliner Kältehilfe
Kältebus from BerlinPhone: 0178 523 5838
(daily 20:30 – 02:00)
Wärmebus from DRKPhone: 030 600 300 1010
(daily 18:00 – 24:00) 
Donate for Wärmebus of DRK
Kältebus from Berliner StadtmissionPhone: 030 690 333 690
(daily 20:00 – 2:00)
Donate for Kältebus, Ambulance
& Emegency Shelter of Berliner Stadtmission
Bergisch-Gladbach / Refrath / BensbergKältebus from “Die Platte e.V.”Phone: 02202 272 6689(Tours Mon, Wed, Fri from 19:00)
Donate for Die Platte e.V.
Brandenburg an der HavelKältebus from DRK BrandenburgPhone: 03381 630 621
(daily)
BraunschweigMalteser WärmebusPhone: 0531 237 9790
Detmold Lage/LippeMalteser WärmebusPhone: 0173 367 7369
DortmundWärmebus MalteserPhone: 0160 94791866
DüsseldorfGutenachtbus from vision:teilen & fiftyfiftyPhone: 01578 350 5152
(daily Tour 22:00 – 0:30)
Donate for Gutenachtbus
EssenDRK EssenPhone: 0201 22 22 22
(24h Hotline)
Donate for DRK Essen
Frankfurt am MainKältebus from FrankfurtPhone: 069 431 414
(daily 21:30 – 05:00)
Frankfurt OderDRK KältebusPhone: 0335 192 22
(at sub-zero temps, daily 18-22 h)
FreiburgDRK KältebusPhone: 0761 885 089 88
(daily 20:00-24:00)
HalleBus VierjahreszeitenPhone: 0176 705 544 07
(3x per week)
HamburgKältebus from CaFée mit HerzPhone: 0151 656 833 68
(daily 19:00 – 24:00)
Donate for Kältebus CaFée mit Herz
Mitternachtsbus from DiakoniePhone: 040 401 782 15
(Tours every night)
Donate for Mitternachtsbus
HannoverKältebus from JohanniterPhone: 0800 084 8488
(Mon, wed, Fri 15:30-21:00)
Donate for Kältebus of Johanniter
Wärmebus from MalteserPhone Infos: 0511 959 8636
(Tours every Thur & weekend)
Donate for Malteser Wärmebus
HeidelbergMalteser WärmebusPhone: 06221 160 864
KarlsruheKältebus from DRKPhone: 0170 140 9210
(Tours every Friday 18:00-22:00)
Donate for DRK Kältebus
KielKältebus from MalteserPhone: 0170 140 9210
(Tours every Friday 18:00-22:00)
Donate for Malteser Kältebus
KölnKältebus from FDKSPhone: 0176 240 713 12
(daily 18:00 – 23:00)
Donate for Kältebus of FDKS
LeipzigHilfebus from LeipzigPhone: 01523 366 1087
(daily 18:00 – 23:00)
MainzKältebus from Rheinhessen Hilft e.V.Phone: 0163 686 7137
MannheimKältebus from MannheimPhone: 0621 293 3425
(daily from 21:00)
MünchenKältebus München e.V.Phone Infos: 089 200 045 930 / Mail: info@kaeltebus-muenchen.de 
Donate for Kältebus München
MünsterMalteser WärmebusPhone Infos: 0151 122 648 36
(Tours every weekend)
SolingenMalteser WärmebusPhone: 0212 / 20 63 90
StuttgartMalteser WärmebusPhone: 0711 219 547 76
(Tours 22-02)
Donate for Malteser Wärmebus
WiesbadenKältebus from Rheinhessen Hilft e.V.Phone: 0163 686 7137

If your city is not listed, you can find more (mobile) Kältehilfe initiatives with a simple search engine query for “Kältehilfe (or Kältebus) + city” (e.g. via ecosia.de).

Get involved on site in cold & homeless aid

Ehrenamtliche verteilen Essen an Bedürftige Menschen auf der Straße

Get involved in projects to support homeless people

Many emergency shelters for homeless people are looking for additional support from volunteers for the cold season, who help out with serving meals and looking after residents, among other things. If you would like to become active directly on site, you can find a small selection of projects to support homeless people here.

City
Organisation
Support is needed in the
projects linked below
BerlinBerliner Obdachlosenhilfe
(soon online)
Prepare food and clothes and distribute them on relief tours in Berlin
KreuzbergKältehilfe der JohanniterReception, food distribution, care, clothing store
HauptbahnhofBerliner StadtmissionWelcome, clothing store, food distribution close to main station

or evening/night shift (with expense allowance)
Zoologischer GartenBerliner StadtmissionWelcome, clothing store, food distribution close to train station
ReinickendorfBerliner StadtmissionFood preparation & serving
CharlottenburgStiftung Union Hilfswerk
(soon online)
Welcoming guests, preparing and serving meals, distributing beds and sleeping bags
Kreuzbergyoungcaritas Berlin
‘Wednesday Café’
Food distribution & organisational tasks
Berlin-wideyoungcaritas BerlinMedical assistance in an ambulance, medical van or medical appartment (as a doctor)
PankowStrassenfeger e.V. Support for late or night shifts
PankowStrassenfeger e.V. Cooking for homeless people in the soup kitchen
Steglitz-ZehlendorfNeue Chancen gGmbHNight shift with admission control dinner & breakfast (with expense allowance)
Lichtenbergoskar | freiwilligenagenturDistribute water & meals to people in need
BraunschweigMalteser Hilfsdienst e.V.Handing out food and hygiene articles, providing transport if necessary
DortmundGast-Haus Ökumenische Wohnungslosen-Initiative e.V.Preparation and distribution of food and drinks
Düsseldorfyoungcaritas Düsseldorf
Warm durch die Nacht
Preparation and serving of food and drinks at Worringer Platz
Frankfurt am MainChange the World e.V.Preparation & serving of meals
HamburgDuschbus from GoBanyoCoordinate guests and showers on site, handing out hygiene articles and clothing
Sonnenschein Café of clubkinder e.V. (soon online)Making sandwiches and serving sandwiches, coffee and cake in the afternoon
Mobile Clothing Store of the DRKTake over journeys for the clothing store bus, homeless bus or blood donation, more on request
IngolstadtSozialdienst Katholischer Frauen e.V.Conversations, food distribution, coordination of laundry, various group activities
ColognePrivate Initiative KaffeekutscheDistributing food and hot drinks in Cologne Mülheim (every Mon + Tue)
Office for Civic Involvement of the AWO CologneFood preparation for homeless people in the inner city of Cologne
MagdeburgÄrzte der Welt e.V.Medical care for people without health insurance
Mannheimyoungcaritas Mannheim
‘Warm durch die Nacht’
(soon online)
Bringing coffee, tea, biscuits and conversation to people on the street
Stuttgartyoungcaritas StuttgartBringing coffee, tea, biscuits and conversation to people on the street
TübingenBahnhofsmissionSupport people in emergency situations at the train station

You can also find more projects to support homeless people at vostel.de.


Use Gifting Fences (Gabenzäune)

Beyond the initiatives presented, you still have the opportunity, to equip gifting fences with food, blankets or clothes, from which needy people can help themselves individually. You should make sure that the food is (still) good and that the clothes are suitable for the cold season. On the site Gabenzaun.de you will find an overview of the locations of gift fences throughout Germany.


Donate via betterplace.org

In addition to the Kältehilfe buses, there are a large number of projects throughout Germany that care for homeless people and that you can support with a donation. These include projects to provide clothing and meals, streetwork stations for street kids or a centre for homeless women. You can find a good overview of the different projects and funding needs on the donation platform Betterplace.org.


Donate clothing via local institutions

In many German cities there are a number of institutions/shops with fixed locations where you can make donations in kind for homeless people. You can find local organisations in your area by simply searching for “Homeless clothing donations + your city”.

Please note that the needs of each organisation are different. In any case, it is worth taking a quick look at the website or calling them to find out what things are actually needed.

Thank you for your commitment in the cold aid!

the vostel.de Team

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