Fruit growers are currently left with ripe residual fruit. This fruit is not suitable for trade because it often comes in different shapes and sizes and is therefore not attractive for a supermarket. The Last Pick is organized by the Dutch Challenge Foundation, collects the ripe fruit with volunteers and gives it to the food bank. For the first time, there are asylum seekers, also known as newcomers, who help pick at an apple farmer in Hem and that leaves us wanting more.
Syrian newcomers help pick apples – NH News
The Syrian refugees have a smile on their faces and they are even singing. They really enjoy rolling up their sleeves and they don’t mind the rain. “We are not made of sugar,” says Shanta Tamim, from the NewBees Zaanstad foundation.
She saw a call on LinkedIn that De Laatste Pluk was looking for volunteers. “I saw the call and immediately knew that I knew some motivated people in our group, so I signed up and now we are here,” she says. She came to the Netherlands eight years ago with her three children.
She is Palestinian and says she is saddened by the war violence that is currently going on in her motherland. “I was a bit sad, but since we have been here, working outside and being busy together, the negative energy is gone and I feel good.”
Manager Bas Husslage of the Dutch Challenge Foundation often sees that asylum seekers become very enthusiastic when they are allowed to work. “These people are often bored, and they can’t do much in society in their daily lives, which is why they are so excited and happy to be able to do this.”
In addition to the newcomers, there are also many volunteers, including John Pieters. He also really enjoys working with the newcomers. “It’s fantastic, some people already speak Dutch quite well and we can also learn words from their language. The atmosphere is very good and it’s just fantastic,” he says.
Food Bank
The food bank has recently had difficulty offering fresh products. With this initiative, 100,000 kilos of fruit are expected this year, which will help the food bank enormously. Today is the last day of picking. And next year Bas Husslage expects an even large turnout.