The first Ukrainians have reported to the food banks in Limburg for emergency packages. The first emergency packages have already been distributed to Ukrainians at the Limburg-Noord Food Bank.
Only Ukrainians who are hosted by host families can get these.
Check with municipalities
In order to receive an emergency package, a Ukrainian must be registered with the municipality. “For the time being, their name is sufficient. According to municipalities, it can take a while before they have a BSN number. That is why we check the name with the municipality if a refugee has reported to us,” says Gerda van Stelten of the Limburg Food Bank. North.
Emergency kit for the whole family
The package is intended for the whole family. “If a married couple takes in a Ukrainian couple with a baby, we see it as a family of five members. The emergency kit that we issue is therefore for five people. We assume that the content will be shared,” says Van Stelten. . According to her, it is important that refugees report before they come. “We don’t have the emergency kits ready by default. If someone signs up, we’ll make sure it’s ready at the time of issue on Thursday.”
Too few products
While the Limburg-North food bank has already provided the first Ukrainians with a package, it is more difficult for the food banks in the center and south of the province to help. Both locations indicate that they have too few products to provide everyone with a decent food package. “We have already asked the municipality to look at local shops that can also help give products,” says Jos Leven, treasurer of the Limburg-South Food Bank.
living money
Ger Boereboom of the Food Bank Midden-Limburg: “Ukrainians receive living money from the government through the municipality. That is so much that they are no longer entitled to a food package. We have therefore asked municipalities to put pressure on the living money. We no longer have to rely on the food bank. It sounds harsh, but we also have to take our regular clients into account.”
Regular calculation
As soon as refugees receive living money, the food banks switch to their regular calculation. “Then we add the living allowance to the income of the family,” says Van Stelten. This is how the food bank tries to keep it as fair as possible for everyone. “We mustn’t forget our own clients, of course.”