More than a hundred families turn to the Food Bank-Altena in Sleeuwijk for help every week. Recently, they no longer have to wait to see what volunteers have put in the food package. The Food Bank is set up as a normal supermarket. “People can choose what they want to eat.”
People who use the Food Bank can, just like at any other supermarket, pick up a shopping cart upon arrival. “They then walk along the shelves to choose the products they would like to take home,” says Linda Oppenhuizen of Food Bank-Altena.
Previously, Food Bank users had no choice about what they could put on their sandwich. “One week there was peanut butter in the package and the next week there was apple syrup. Now people can choose what they want to eat or drink,” says Oppenhuizen.
Users
For food bank users, the transition from food parcel to supermarket makes a world of difference. “Now you are standing in a nice shop, while before you were standing outside in a queue waiting for your turn. Then we all felt very watched. It is a huge hurdle for people to go to the Food Bank. Then it is nice that you can just walk into a shop.”
Food waste
Being able to choose for yourself is not only nice for customers, it also prevents food waste. “Less food is thrown away, because they now take the products they really need,” says Oppenhuizen.