The number of people who come to a food bank has risen sharply during the corona crisis. The volunteer organization helped 7.2 percent more people in 2020 than the year before.
In total, the 172 food banks in the Netherlands assisted 160,500 people last year. In 2019 there were still 151,000. The largest increase was in Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
The food bank expects the number of customers to increase further in the coming years. The organization is expecting an increase of 50 percent, writes Faithful.
Subsidy
To help more people, food banks received last year four million euros to government aid. In addition, the cabinet has pledged eight million euros from the European Social Fund.
So far, nothing could be done with that money because food banks operate on the basis of donations from shops and catering.
To be able to cope with the increasing demand in the future, the food banks want to set up an independent foundation. In an emergency, this foundation can then buy food to help the poorest.
–
