Poverty in the Netherlands is increasing and more and more people are relying on the food bank. The ongoing crisis is putting increasing pressure on food banks in the Netherlands. More and more people are finding it difficult to make ends meet and are faced with a large debt burden. Poverty in the Netherlands; it really exists. The food bank in the Netherlands was founded in 2001 by Sjaak Sies and his wife Clara Sies in Rotterdam. They started distributing food from their home. At first they offered vegetables through a gardener friend, but soon a baker was added and they provided thirty families in their neighborhood with a weekly food package. They heard about the food bank in Belgium and then started getting ideas from our southern neighbors. After this they started tackling it on a larger scale. The idea of a food bank originally originated in America. Food banks have existed there since 1967.
How does the food bank work?
The food bank runs entirely on volunteers, currently more than six thousand people in the Netherlands, spread over 135 branches. The food bank is a non-profit organization. The food from the food packages comes from donations. Major sponsors of the food bank are Heinz, Aviko, Unilever, Nestle, Arla, Bravo Foods, Boels rental, Monuta, Müller transport, Frieslandfoods, Bakkersland, Makro, etc., etc. Many municipalities also provide subsidies to the food banks. You can also support the food bank as a private individual. This can be done by means of a donation, but also by donating goods, provided that the packaging has not been opened and the goods have not expired. People who are eligible for the food bank must be registered via the budget coach, GP or other social agency. They are then helped with a food package for a maximum period of three years.
Who uses the food bank?
Of the food bank users, 20 percent have a permanent job, 36 percent receive social assistance benefits, 18 percent receive disability benefits and 5 percent receive state pension benefits. Contrary to popular belief, seventy percent of the food bank users are native, the remaining thirty percent are of immigrant origin. These are often people who have fallen into debt due to divorce, unemployment or disability. This also includes self-employed entrepreneurs whose income is below the poverty line. You are not automatically eligible for a food package. After registration by a social organization, a registration form must be completed. All income and fixed expenses must be stated here. Copies of indebtedness and other fixed expenses must be included.
Request a food package
To be eligible for a food package you must meet the following criteria. In 2012, the living allowance must remain less than €180 per month for one adult plus €60 for each additional adult plus €50 for each child under the age of eighteen. Living allowance is defined as the amount that remains of the income after deduction of fixed costs. In 2015, the amounts were adjusted to less than €180 living allowance for one adult plus €70 for each additional family member. It does not matter whether this family member is a child or an adult.
Food bank ambassador
Singer Rene Froger has been an ambassador for the food bank since 2012. After two years of respect, he succeeded the deceased former ambassador Antonie Kamerling. Rene Froger has often drawn attention to the work of the food bank. He did this together with his wife Natasja in the program Effe not to make a cent.