More and more customers, less and less food: food banks in Germany are under pressure and are often barely able to meet the demand from people living in poverty. REWE and nahkauf are once again providing support this year with the REWE food bank weeks.
Heating costs, food prices, inflation. There are plenty of reasons for money worries. The food banks are also realising this and have been struggling to keep up with the demand for a while now. "The number of food bank customers has increased by around half since the beginning of the year due to inflation, the pandemic and the consequences of war. This means that well over two million people affected by poverty are seeking support from one of the 962 food banks - more than ever before," reads a press release from the umbrella organisation Tafel Deutschland.
"The new customers mainly include refugees from Ukraine, but also many unemployed people, low-income workers and pensioners. More and more people cannot afford basic things like a healthy diet." The food banks are assuming responsibility here and - unintentionally - are increasingly taking on socio-political tasks from the state and local authorities: "It's almost unbearable to see that help is not enough and that the necessary support for people in poverty is lacking from those who are actually responsible," says Sirkka Jendis, Managing Director of Tafel Deutschland.
REWE and nahkauf support nationwide campaign
Against this backdrop, the REWE food bank weeks organised since 2011 are more important than ever for people affected by poverty: from 10 to 22 October, all REWE and nahkauf stores are once again calling on their customers to support their local food bank with long-life food for 5 euros. The motto of the campaign is "Filling plates together" The aim is to collect and hand over food with a total value of up to three million euros within two weeks. REWE itself will donate 200,000 euros.
REWE always decides together with Tafel Deutschland which food is most needed. As a result, the donation bag usually contains products that have a long shelf life and are otherwise rarely donated, such as rice, pasta or salt.
How it works
If you would like to support the food banks, pay for the donation bag at the till in the store and leave it at the collection point behind the till. REWE forwards the donation to the local food bank. Customers of the delivery service can also take part and pay for a donation bag with the rest of their online purchase.
Jochen Brühl, Chairman of the food banks, is concerned about the current socio-political tension, which is more pronounced than ever due to the coronavirus crisis, inflation and the war in Ukraine. His appeal: the state must play its part in what food banks are currently doing, mainly with the financial support of companies.
Find out more in the "Voice of the month" on rewe-group.com.
