Food Banks & Pantries: Crisis Response in Germany

Tafel Deutschland is a service organization and mouthpiece for over 960 food banks throughout Germany. The umbrella organization has promoted food banking in Germany for over 25 years by saving food that would otherwise be thrown away and making sure it goes to people affected by poverty who need it the most.

Tafel Deutschland also represents our member food banks’ interests at national and international levels. Tafel Deutschland is financed by donations. The donations collected via GlobalGiving support our food banking mission in Germany. Especially the current crisis, rising prices have resulted in fewer food donations and more people in need turning to the Tafel for support.

Tafel Deutschland offers targeted assistance to its member food banks: The "Energy-Invest" support program, for example, helps our network of food banks and pantries make their operations more sustainable and energy-saving in the long term. This enables them e.g. to invest in e-transporters, photovoltaic systems and energy-saving equipment. Tafel Deutschland is setting up these and other support programs to support or volunteers and food saving operations in Germany.

We need your support to save food and help people, now more than ever. Thank you very much for your donation! For more information, please visit our website: https://www.tafel.de/english-information

Food banks in Germany are currently operating at their limit: Many people are turning to one of the more than 960 Tafeln for the first time and asking for help because they no longer have enough money to get by. Prices are increasing and since the start of the war on Ukraine, more and more people have found themselves in need of support. More than two million people now come to the food banks, more than ever before.

Inflation also puts a strain on the food banks

It is not just the increase in the number of Tafel beneficiaries that are a major challenge. Due to inflation and price increases, the Tafeln simultaneously are facing rising operating costs.

They painfully feel the rising prices of energy and fuel, but can hardly save any money. Both the pickup routes to food donors and the electricity for lighting, refrigeration, etc. are essential for the Tafel's operation.

The money raised through GlobalGiving is used to provide financial relief to food banks in this emergency situation, among other things.

To make matters worse, since the beginning of the year many food banks have received fewer food donations to distribute to their customers. One third of Tafel branches have had to stop accepting new beneficiaries because there is no longer enough food to meet demand. Tafeln also usually distribute smaller quantities to each household in order to support as many people as possible.

More customers, fewer donations and higher costs: food banks are currently under greater pressure than ever before. Despite the more difficult conditions, the 60,000 Tafel volunteers continue to work tirelessly to prevent both waste and poverty.

Your support via GlobalGiving also helps to continue the Tafel work in Germany. For this we say thank you!

Dear donors,

The ongoing Corona pandemic and the war in Ukraine continue to pose major challenges for food banks in Germany. Due to inflation and the associated price increases on fuel and energy, many Tafel branches are having more difficulties financing their operations According to the motto "Save food. Helping people.

"Tafel Deutschland supports its members help people affected by poverty and give disadvantaged people a voice at this particularly difficult time. With the GlobalGiving total donation of approximately $3,000, you have supported the work of the umbrella organization to help its members throughout the country.

For example, in April 2022, Tafel Deutschland established a new fund to provide financial relief to its front line organizations for delivery and logistics costs. In addition, Tafel Deutschland establishes relationships with companies that can donate food in large quantities. This could from stockpiles, overproduction or seasonal product changes that would otherwise be destroyed.

Together with logistics partners, the umbrella organization ensures that the food is distributed fairly throughout its network. Tafel Deutschland has also helped its sister organizations in Ukraine and neighboring countries to acquire additional food and cash donations. Within the first months of the war, several million people have fled. As a member of the European Food Banks Federation (FEBA), the umbrella organization together with companies and freight forwarders have shown immense solidarity with these food aid shipments, while simultaneously working to meet the growing demand from refugees in this country. Tafel Deutschland considers itself as the mouthpiece of all its member organizations and engages in dialog with representatives from politics, business, society and the media.

With regular publications, presence at events and press work, the umbrella organization communicates to the outside world what the Tafel do - in order to convince as many people as possible of the Tafel idea - but also points out the limits of Tafel’s work.

The umbrella organization reminds decision-makers they cannot ignore the consequences of inadequate social policies by relying on volunteers. In addition, the umbrella organization maintains contact with international institutions, associations, companies and politicians, since poverty and food waste do not stop at national borders. Thank you for your donation, with which you have supported the Tafel work in Germany!

Links:

• Tafel Website

Dear supporters,

Two years into the Corona pandemic, our food banks and pantries all over Germany continue to face major challenges. Reorganizing our workflows around higher hygiene standards, for example by implementing contact-free pick up or grocery delivery, means higher operating costs for our volunteer work. Making sure that our services remains freely accessible to people in need is especially important now in the face of rising food prices and the disproportionate impact that has on our patrons.

The pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges for food banking, and we depend on your support. With your donations, we were able to support our network of 960 Tafel food banks and pantries by distributing grants from Tafel Deutschland's Emergency Aid Fund.

One such grant equipped the Tafel Freilassing with hygiene and safety equipment. Two disinfection dispensers, eleven partitions and a contact-free thermometer were purchased because, as the Tafel’s director Erika Kloss summed up "The safety of our customers and volunteers is our top priority." This is just one example of how your donations helped a Tafel last year.

Your donation also supports the work of the umbrella organization: Tafel Deutschland helps the 960 local Tafel by providing up-to-date information on health and safety regulations, special conditions, funding opportunities, digitalization efforts, volunteer recruiting, networking, educational programs and so much more. At the same time, Tafel Deutschland raises awareness around the Tafel and foodbanking in Germany and internationally while advocating for changes to social and environmental policies that are in line with our mission to help people by saving food.

More information about Tafel's work can be found on our website: http://www.tafel.de.

Thanks for your great support!

Corona in 2021: Tafel food banks still distressed by Covid

All of our branches have now reopened their doors to the public, but the range of services still remains limited. In addition to the regulars, we are now seeing more and more new faces at our Tafel locations. These people, who had led stable, settled lives before the corona virus pandemic, have now fallen into poverty during the crisis. At the same time, some people, mostly senior citizens or others with pre-existing conditions, are not using Tafel’s services for fear of infection. Other forms of support offered at the Tafel, such as tutoring or cooking courses, have been suspended because of increased operational cost.

But also thanks to your kind donations, we have been able to support our members with a fund dedicated to corona related costs.

Refrigeration cell for eight pallets of refrigerated goods

Disinfectant, sneeze guards, masks and other hygiene measures caused such a considerable financial burdened for Tafel Holzminden that the purchase of an urgently needed cold room seemed impossible. Funds from the Corona Emergency Aid Fund helped to finance a new cold room despite the increased operational costs. Eight pallets of refrigerated goods can now be stored for distribution to people in need.

Tafel food banks and their beneficiaries still rely on support from donors. With reliable partners on our side, we will be able to continue helping the most vulnerable members of society get through this crisis.

Your donation helps us to help people and save food!