If you have little money left over for groceries, you can go to Inge Schipper (37) in Zuidlaren. Recently she has a food cupboard next to her house, where people can pick up products for free. Schipper knows like no other what it’s like to have no money for groceries.
It is already difficult to knock on the door of acquaintances in the case of a narrow purse. There is shame involved and you soon feel burdened. But the passage to a food cupboard is also a significant barrier for many to cross. “People come here late at night or very early in the morning to pick up products,” says Schipper. “I think that also has to do with shame.”
Schipper had been toying with the idea of a Food Cabinet for some time. It became concrete when Woonborg made a call to start a food cabinet somewhere in her neighborhood in Zuidlaren. A good idea, Schipper immediately thought. “I myself know what it’s like to have little money,” she says. “I spent six months at the Food Bank to make ends meet. Fortunately, things are going well now.”
At the time, the Zuidlaarder would have liked to see something similar in the area. “It doesn’t feel good if you have to knock on the door of acquaintances for groceries.”
Schipper emphasizes that everyone can knock on the door of the Entinge in Zuidlaren. There is no income test. “Whether you are on welfare or as a two-income earner, it doesn’t matter. Life is becoming more expensive for everyone and that is no shame, especially with these energy prices.”
The products for the food cupboard come from villagers and a single entrepreneur. Schipper has nothing to complain about the willingness of her fellow South carders. “If I notice that the stock is going through quickly, I’ll place a call. Then stuff will come in quickly.”
Schipper goes far in her ‘service’. For example, if you are not mobile, you can ask her to deliver the groceries. “But then it has to be close, because I do everything by bike.”
In addition to her food cupboard, Schipper is working on a ‘kind of mini toy bank’. “I’ve already received a lot of toys,” she says, proudly pointing to cupboards full of games, cars and cuddly toys. “It is still in its infancy, but the intention is that you can go here for a present. Whether it is for your own child, or to give at a birthday party.”
There is also no financial control for toys. “I trust the honesty of people,” says Schipper. “In the end I do it for the happy faces of the children who receive a present. That makes me feel good.”
Toys are only issued by appointment. Interested parties can send an email to Schipper ([email protected]). On Facebook she has created the page ‘Food cabinet and mini toy bank Zuidlaren’.