current events

When the neighbours don't open the
door anymore

…… and your colleagues at work hide from you, it's already too late. They saw
you coming again with a bag full of courgettes and runner beans. Don't let this
happen.

One sunny day, I was chopping an overgrown courgette for the compost, we just
had way too many, even to give away. It was a good year for courgettes.
Suddenly an idea popped into my head.

I vaguely seem to remember hearing something about a food bank. As soon as I
got home I searched on the Internet and yes, there is a food bank in Hoorn.
I called them and asked if they would be interested in excess vegetables from an
allotment. They surely did.

The first week that our excess veggies would go to the food bank we decided to
bicycle around the complex to see if other allotmenteers had some extra harvest
to give. Our bicycles were loaded down front and back. After a few weeks
picking up excess vegetables around the complex, we realized we could no longer
do this on the bicycle.

It was heart-warming what people gave for the food bank, as if it was the most
normal thing in the world to cut off some cabbages, dig up some beetroots or
pick a bag of beans to give to this cause. Allotmenteers are a special kind of
people because this we had never expected.

On Saturday September 6, Arthur (from the committee) and Han (coordinator of
the volunteers) from the food bank came to give information on how the food
bank works and what happens with our donations. They brought information
brochures and later also a poster which, in the meantime, has been put up in a
window of the Konkelboet.

To qualify for a weekly food packet, the income for cost of living has to fall
under a certain amount, proof of this has to be shown during the intake
procedure. Often these are people who are in the debt help-program. There is
strict control, with a pass system, that the food goes to the right persons.
The food bank gets donations from supermarkets and produce auctions. Every
week they drive to the different collection points such as in Amsterdam to collect
the food. The sell-by dates are always checked since they fall under the same
regulations from the food authorities as shops do and inspectors also visit the
food bank.
The food bank works only with volunteers, nobody gets paid for the work,
including the committee. They work only with donations. These come from
sponsors, individuals, businesses and during special drives such as, during the
Christmas season, at supermarkets when shoppers are asked to by an extra
article to donate to the food bank.

Now it is too late to make a long story short but in the end it was decided that
the food bank makes a pick-up every week on Thursday at 14.15 hours at our
allotment complex. The veggies are collected in the clubhouse (or, if this is
closed, in the crate behind it). Leaf vegetables should be harvested and donated
as close to the pick-up time as possible because of the short keeping time, all
foods go into fridges at the food bank. On Fridays, about 70 food packets are
given out at the food bank and some get delivered to the homes of people who
can't come pick it up themselves.

Thursday, 11 September the food bank came for the first time for a pick-up. The
result was overwhelming, ten (yes, 10) crates full, try transporting that on a
bicycle hahaha. The eyes of the food bank's driver were as big as saucers and the
only thing he managed to say was "Wow". It should be mentioned that this time an
allotment had to be emptied out and all harvest from it went too.
Of course we don't expect this immense amount every week and in the winter we
probably will stop but in the spring we hope to able to have a few crates full of
top quality produce to be picked-up by the food bank every week.

It is beyond belief how a small idea at the compost pile turned out such a
beautiful result. Heartfelt thanks to all who freely gave and helped.Folks such as
Ramon who emptied out an allotment and washed all the potatoes, also Pauline,
Rick and again Ramon who helped transferring everything to crates from the
food bank and all others who participated.
Our association is now a sponsor of the food bank and we can be proud of this.