Authors
Anastasia Mitrofanova1; 1 Institute of Sociology, Russian Academy of Science, Russian Federation Discussion
The presentation is focused on street feeding Orthodox Christian initiatives for the homeless, and is based on original field research (direct observation, participant observation, and in-depth interviews) in three regions of Russia. The author’s purpose is to show that a primary responsibility of such faith-based initiatives is not religious conversion of either their volunteers or clients, but preservation or restoration of their human dignity and self-esteem. Contemporary Orthodox initiatives reject moral judgment and see feeding the homeless as a person-to-person interaction, where volunteers and clients assist one another to achieve self-understanding and personal development. Initially, this task is performed by communities of employees and volunteers; then by larger communities that unite social workers and their clients. Eventually faith-based initiatives gain strength to affect society around them by demonstrating models of human interaction based on solidarity and mutual esteem. Feeding the homeless, although seemingly a minor service to those in need, thus becomes a valuable instrument for building Christian personality for people both behind and in front of a street counter. 
