At the Greenland camp in Oslo, there are many people in line. A large van is on its way to deliver new goods to the Poor House, which will ensure food on the table for those who can not afford to buy it themselves.
Chairman of the board at Fattighuset, Sverre Rusten, says that the queue today has been fierce compared to otherwise.
– Today it has been quite long, all the way down and around the quarter. It is not so long now, because of course we take away, but today there has been a lot going on.
VIOLENT QUEUE: Sverre Rusten, chairman of the poorhouse, says that today has been marked by long queues. PHOTO: LARS EIVIND BONES / DAGBLADET
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Due to the corona, the Poor House does not have food distribution on Mondays, only Wednesdays and Fridays.
– There is a lot that is closed on May 17, so that may be the reason why the queue has been so long, says the chairman.
He does not ask why people come there, but notes that in addition to those who get stuck, there are now more who have lost their income due to the closure of society.
– They do not have it easy, there are very many different fates.
Long queues for the pole
A stone’s throw away from the Poor House is Vinmonopolet, where the long queue outside stretches far around the corner.
– It is clear that there are great contrasts in society. It is not necessarily just rich people who stand in a pole queue, there are many ordinary people as well, says Rusten.
– Now I’m in the food queue
One of those who is patiently waiting to buy bubbles until May 17, is Malin Jensen Salte. She finally approaches the entrance after waiting for 30 minutes.
– Now I thought I was out early, but obviously not. It’s going well, you almost have to reckon with that.
– What do you think about the other queue down the street?
– Uff, that’s stupid, of course. It’s probably a bit because of the corona there too, many who are in crisis. So there are contrasts. Absolutely!
Never seen a longer queue
50 meters further back in the long queue is Bjørg Storås. She has brought her own shopping cart on wheels to save herself a lot of lifting.
SAD: Several of those present outside Vinmonopolet react strongly to the long queues at the Poor House. PHOTO: LARS EIVIND BONES / DAGBLADET
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She is not planning a violent celebration this year due to the corona, but still intends to buy some sparkling water for the big day. Never before has she experienced a larger queue at Vinmonopolet in Greenland in Oslo.
– My God, I thought, I’ve not seen it like this before. I’ve been queuing here before, but never had it like this.
Storås is from Sula in Langevåg, but has lived in Greenland for many years and has therefore often noticed the long queues outside the poorhouse.
– Yes, that queue uses to go all the way up to the church hill. I have seen it on Fridays when I have walked around.
– Painful to look at
Solås thinks it’s really sad with everyone who has to wait in line to get food.
– What to say to that? What to say to them in this prosperous society we live in? It becomes like a paradox, which is difficult to relate to. Although I see it and that this is something that is terribly wrong fundamentally wrong.
In tears: – Something must be done
Commitment creates giver joy
At Fattighuset, the queue has grown a little longer after the truck has delivered the new food.
Just before Easter wrote Dagbladet that the food queues outside the Poor House at the Greenland Camp in Oslo had become considerably longer. The organization had experienced a significant increase in citizens who turned to them for help during the pandemic.
– We have received a lot of extra because of the attention from you in Dagbladet, among others. We are in a good wave, and the hope is that at least some of them will be more regular delivery and not just right now.
– Some have promised it, so that is what we hope for, says Rusten.
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