Like Santa Claus' elves, volunteers in white jumpsuits lined the staircase of YMCA's Valletta homeless shelter and painted the railings as they renovated the house as a Christmas gift to its residents.
They worked to the beat of hammering and drilling that came from Dar Nikki Cassar's top floor where other volunteers installed a new kitchen and living area last Thursday.
"Rather than giving the usual Christmas hampers to our clients this year, we asked them to donate €200 in aid of the homeless shelter and we doubled the total amount collected," said Mark Vella, the general manager of Synergix Malta that specialises in theme events, animation and entertainment for conferences.
Synergix's clients, which include other companies mostly working in the tourism sector, forked out €2,200 that was then doubled to €4,400.
The money was used to buy a kitchen, appliances, a dining table and chairs, a sofa, a wall unit, curtains and paint. The works were carried out by volunteers.
Rather than spending a day at the office, employees turned up at the shelter and worked side-by-side with representatives from their competition. YMCA staff and some residents also helped with the refurbishment.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Mario de Marco, visited the works in progress at Dar Nikki Cassar, which hosts 22 homeless people, including six children under 11 and two teenagers.
Dr de Marco welcomed such corporate social responsibility initiatives taken by companies in the tourism sector. "It's an initiative to be encouraged not just during the Christmas period," he said.
YMCA chairman Jean Paul Mifsud explained that the running costs of the shelter were mostly covered by donations. The government provided 15 per cent of the funds and negotiations were underway to find a solution to the increasing running costs.
Mr Mifsud said that YMCA was planning to open a shelter specifically for children. It would be neighbouring Dar Nikki Cassar and host eight children but they were still waiting for some permits from the planning authority.
The children's shelter still needed to be fitted with a kitchen and bedrooms. Ideally, Mr Mifsud said, the bedrooms would be new so that they could be made to fit the particular room sizes and provide a welcoming environment for the children who come from a troubled background.
Anyone who wishes to help YMCA can call Maria Sammut at on 2122 8038.