1/4 Who is the Brabander of the Year 2023?
Jan Minkels from Den Dungen is the Brabander of the Year 2023. A record number of people voted this year and Jan emerged as the winner. Jan regularly invites people who are alone to his own home and cooks a free three-course dinner for them. And he gives away what is left to people who don’t have much to spend.
Jan has a smile from ear to ear when the golden envelope opens and he hears that he has won. “I’m speechless,” he says, bewildered. “I already was when I was nominated. But now I am completely overwhelmed.”
Jan cooks twice a month for people who would otherwise eat alone. “There are people who come home from work and then heat up a jar or something from the supermarket. With their plate on their lap, they eat everything in ten minutes in front of the TV. That is their dinner. And then they sit for the rest of the day.” to spend the evening alone chatting.”
“If you want to join us, you are welcome.”
That can be done differently, Jan thought. That’s why he invites people to his home twice a month. Often he doesn’t know them yet. “I then leave a note at the food bank or put on Facebook that we have a few seats available. If you want to join us, you are welcome.”
Social organization Bint also brings lonely people from the village into contact with Jan. “And these are not just old people. People in their thirties or forties can also feel alone. That has only become worse during corona times.”
When Jan cooks for them, he often makes something extra and puts it in the freezer. People who don’t have much to spend can pick it up for free. Jan puts any leftover ingredients in the giveaway cupboard he has placed in his garden.
“You actually all deserve it.”
In the Winter Efteling, Jan receives a bronze statue from King’s Commissioner Ina Adema. He proudly accepts it from her. But he remains modest. “You actually all deserve it,” he says, laughing to the other nominees. “They just have to make a few more statues.”
Curious who the other nominees were? You can read their stories here.