Wijnbelt says the number of people using the food bank has increased by about 10 percent in the past two months. He expects that increase to continue. “We see that elderly people with an old-age pension who were able to pay their fixed costs in the past are no longer able to do so. We think that this group will grow in the coming six months if the current situation remains unchanged.”
100,000 people
According to Wijnbelt, about 100,000 people currently use the food bank every week. The increase is mainly visible in and around the major cities.
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Another trend that the chairman sees is that there is no dip in the summer months. “It was always there in June, July and August. People may then go to relatives abroad or grow their own food in the garden. We are not seeing that dip for the first time this year.”
In conversation with government
In the coming period, VBNL will enter into talks with the government to see how the ever-growing group can also be provided with food in the future. The organization will also ask donors, such as supermarket chains and manufacturers, whether they can donate more food items. Because they have taken stricter measures against food waste, there is less food left for the food bank.
Wijnbelt says he is in favor of reducing food waste, ‘but this should not be done at the expense of people who are hungry’.
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