Jakarta –
As inflation has risen to over 10% and the German government has taken increasingly stringent measures to prevent an energy crisis, the situation at the country’s food bank has only worsened.
Local newspapers reported that many residents needed food, but were turned away by food bank volunteers. Their food supply is currently dwindling.
Limited capacity of the food bank
“The application for membership has increased significantly” since the beginning of 2022, confirmed Günter Giesa, who often volunteers for Tafel, the German food bank, in the city of Bonn.
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“Currently, we can only accept new customers if someone else cancels their membership,” said Giesa, adding that it was a shame, because “people are increasingly worried about their finances and need our help.”
About 13.8 million people in Germany are reported to live near or below the poverty line. As the number of energy-poor households is projected to double from 2021 to 2022, experts fear that the number of poor people will also increase dramatically.
War and inflation increase demand
According to the latest data from Tafel Deutschland, the parent organization of the German food bank, around 61% of the 60,000 locations across the country experienced an increase in demand for new members of at least 50% over the previous year. About 30% of food banks have double the number of customers, while the rest are forced to decline applications for membership.
This was partly due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to Giesa, “the first weeks of March were very difficult. Many people who came to us had no money, only clothes stuck to their bodies”.
Kat, 45, describes the chaos since early spring: “They have separate lines for newcomers, in some cases squabbling between old and new customers, who expect them to get special treatment.”
More and more rejected
Now that Ukrainian refugees have been integrated into the system, most of the new arrivals in Tafel are families and individuals hit by the cost of living crisis.
“The situation is sad,” said Kat. “People had to stand in the rain for hours, waiting. Donations arrived and volunteers first selected what might be needed. Customers were called at random and also received random items, mainly fruit and vegetables. and bread. “As for the other necessities including toilet paper, tampons and diapers, none.
“Things have gotten really drastic in the past few weeks,” Günter Giesa said of the number of people rejected. He also stressed the need for people to donate “long-lasting goods such as pasta, rice and canned food.”
He said Bonn Tafel needed to give people less food to help more people.
Call for solidarity
Statistics from Tafel Deutschland paint an equally bleak picture. At least 62% of food banks reported in August of delivering fewer items to each household. About half of the food banks have increased their working hours to cope with the crisis, which is affecting the physical and mental health of volunteers. The organization also reported a “significant drop” in donations as more people slashed their budgets.
Tafel Deutschland recently launched an appeal, asking for solidarity because “more people need help this fall and in the colder months … call your local food bank and ask what they need most”. (ha / yf)
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