Food banks face shortages as demand for help rises
Food banks are struggling with fewer donations as the demand for help grows rapidly. If the trend continues, food banks will have to hand out smaller packages to people seeking help or even turn some people away, according to Nu.nl.
The amount of people seeking help from food banks has been accelerating in recent months and is now 9 percent higher than Jan. 1. This is due to prices pushed up by inflation and a decline in purchasing power. Food banks suspect the same reasons are also leading to a drop in donations.
"We are reaching the limits of the food that we can distribute. There is less food, which also has to be distributed among more people. That is a major challenge," umbrella organization Food Banks Netherlands told Nu.nl.
There is also a pronounced increase in the number of households with young children who need assistance. In a normal year, this number is 16,000. "This year we will go over 20,000, and next year we expect even more," said the organization Children of the Food Bank.
The 172 food banks in the Netherlands are dependent on donations. In addition to food, they also distribute necessities like toothpaste and deodorant, according to Nu.nl.
In September, the threshold was lowered for receiving food packages in response to inflation. As a result, more people qualified to get packages from food banks. However, this is not the only explanation behind the heightened demand on food banks, the umbrella organization told Nu.nl. "On balance there are more households, and they are also getting bigger. We also see that in total more mouths need to be fed."
Both Food Banks Netherlands and Children of the Food bank do not receive government assistance. They therefore ask people to be as generous as possible when donating, according to Nu.nl.
"This can be done, for example, through special promotions at supermarkets," said a spokesperson for Food Banks Netherlands.
"People can buy extra products and then leave them for the food bank. Financial contributions are always possible. If people want to do even more, they can contact contact the local food bank."
