They work six days a week for people in need: Members of the Saar-Foodies association go to supermarkets in Saarland and pick up goods that have been written off Food material and send it directly. No meaningful tests, no promises, completely voluntary. “If you need help, you get it,” said club founder Isabella Litzenburger. The club works on the principle of full collection: everything that should no longer be sold on the market is taken and sorted on site – into goods for human needs and into goods for animals. These workers saved around 420,000 euros of product from the waste bin in just nine months, including around 200,000 euros in animal feed. 16 markets now regularly collaborate with the association.
Volunteer after work
This association has 25 members consisting of bank employees, educators, industrial mechanics, construction workers, opticians, therapists and civil servants. Many work full time, some work shifts. After work, the members return to the car, sort pallets on the road and take the groceries to the apartments where they need them most. The youngest active member is 29 years old, the oldest is 74 years old. Some even brought their children who helped. The volunteers cited humanity, sustainability and a desire to combat food waste as motivation.
118 households in Saarland – direct delivery
The association currently supplies 118 households Saarland – from the elderly, single parents, to families with seriously ill children. Saar Foodies delivers food directly to your home. Many of those affected are immobile or embarrassed to visit public distribution points. One of those who supports it is Beate Kuhl (56). She said: “I’ve known Saar Foodies for about two months. Without its help, I don’t know how I would do it at the moment. My son has a serious heart disease, so I had to quit my job and be on hand all the time. Of course we have support, but with such a sick child, money is not enough. Fruit, for example, is very expensive – thanks to Saar-Foodies we save a lot of money. Members pay a monthly fee of ten euros and use their own vehicles for pick-up and delivery. They can use the leftovers themselves – on average, they save up to 200 euros per month.
Increased demand – too few helpers
The number of markets wanting to work with Saar Foodies continues to increase. Drugstores could also play a role in the future – many usable products are now dumped there. “We need more members to be able to serve new markets,” Litzenburger said. The Saarlouis district will be developed next, and in the long term the entire Saarland. In five years we can also imagine a national structure – with partner associations working on the same principles. There remains one pressing desire: our own transporter. “Sponsors providing vehicles will be a big relief for us,” Litzenburger said. Until then, volunteers store food every day in their personal cars – thereby helping to ensure that valuable items do not end up in the trash.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251119-930-310962/1
