The Dutch have a saying “Het gaat niet om de gift zelf, maar om de intentie”, which is quite similar to the Vietnamese view that “the way you give is better than what you give”. There are many interesting things that Hanh Nguyen has realized and wants to share since volunteering at Voedselbank - a food bank in the Netherlands.
Curiosity drives
Food banks are a form of providing free food to those who do not have or cannot afford to feed themselves. This is also a way to limit food waste. According to statistics from the Dutch Food Bank Association (Voedselbanken.nl), in 2023-2024, the country will have 177 food banks, 10 main distribution centers and receive the participation of about 14,000 volunteers. Hanh Nguyen, 26 years old, of Vietnamese origin, is one of the volunteers working at a food bank in the city of Hoogeveen in the province of Drenthe.
When she moved to Hoogeveen, Hanh also had a new neighbor, Mr. Arie Dekker. Mr. Dekker is 83 years old and has been volunteering at the food bank since he retired at the age of 67. The stories about the food bank that his grandfather (Hanh's affectionate way of calling his kind neighbor) told her made Hanh curious, and many questions arose in her mind about how the Dutch do charity work, fight food waste, and why this is a job that must be done every week, not just when you feel like it?
To get a practical answer, Hanh asked Mr. Dekker to let her work at the Hoogeveen food bank for a few hours every Monday. After that, she officially took on a permanent job there. Hanh shared: “Food imported into the bank mainly comes from donations from supermarkets, companies, churches, and philanthropists... Individuals can also donate unused food, share goods purchased at supermarkets, donate money from selling scrap metal and plastic items... Volunteers at the food bank are also known as unpaid professionals.”
Hello Hanh
Most volunteers are involved in the main process of collecting and distributing safe food. They also take on fundraising, financial accounting, legal, communications, secretarial work, etc. Previously, Hanh witnessed how food was distributed in gift bags, divided equally. Therefore, there were situations where people did not like the items they were given and did not use them, and the food was once again wasted. Then there were people who signed up but did not come to collect.
Recently, the food bank has been re-established as a supermarket model. People in difficult circumstances are allowed to come and choose the food they need. The most popular self-selected foods are canned sausages, tomato soups, chicken soups, cereals, milk, cakes, etc. The amount of products received at a time depends on the number of people in the family and is color-coded for volunteers to check.
So who is invited to the food bank to receive free food? Hanh said: “Recipients of food bank assistance are assessed based on the amount of money each household has left each month to buy food and clothing. The government calculates by adding up all incomes and then subtracting fixed costs such as electricity, water, etc. Every week, this banking system in the Netherlands shares food with about 120,000 customers. Food banks not only support the poor but also launch environmental protection campaigns. Food waste and the destruction of excess food are also causing significant environmental pollution.”
According to the Food Bank Association, statistics show that 1.8-2.7 million tons of food are wasted in the Netherlands each year, equivalent to 6.3-8.8 billion EUR. On average, each Dutch person will waste about 33.4 kg of food at home in 2022 (according to the government website: www.rijksoverheid.nl). Bread, rice and pasta are the most wasted foods. In recent years, the rate of food waste has decreased, but the government is still calling for more anti-waste initiatives.
After working here for a while, Hanh felt attached and learned many interesting things about the food management process, how to share surplus items, how to give/receive to show appreciation for the value of food. Through her personal channel “Hallo Hanh” on YouTube, Facebook and TikTok, Hanh is looking for ways to share more about the work at the food bank to increase community awareness about distributing surplus food and preventing food waste.
LAM VAN
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/hanh-nguyen-va-ngan-hang-thuc-pham-mien-phi-o-ha-lan-post747008.html
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