REWE and nahkauf conclude the traditional “Filling plates together” campaign with an increased donation result of 1,162 tonnes of food compared to the previous year. For a fortnight, the stores had called on customers throughout Germany to donate six selected items to the food bank in their local community. REWE itself donated 200,000 euros worth of food. The food will now benefit people living in poverty in Germany. Because the support is urgently needed.
The situation at the food banks is still very tense. Demand is so high that the food donations are no longer sufficient for all those who request support from the food banks, and there are waiting lists. This makes measures such as the REWE food bank bag campaign all the more important. They offer uncomplicated, direct help with long-life food for people who lack the most basic necessities. We would like to thank the customers of REWE and nahkauf as well as the REWE Group for this important support
, says Andreas Steppuhn, Chairman of Tafel Deutschland e.V..
“For me, the donation result is proof that solidarity and humanity are values of our society that continue to be lived – even in times of growing polarisation”, says REWE Group Management Board member Peter Maly. “The food banks in the country are facing major challenges. It goes without saying that we want to stand by our long-standing partner and do our part to help it cope with the tasks of the future.”
During the campaign, store employees provided paper bags with long-life food that customers could buy and hand in at a designated collection point. Alternatively, there was the option of dropping a Tafel donation card worth €5 each into a donation box at the checkout. The donations automatically recorded by the checkout system were converted into the corresponding quantities of food at the end of the campaign weeks.
The food banks have been around for a good 30 years – and REWE has been one of their earliest and biggest supporters ever since. in 2011, REWE initiated an additional donation campaign for the food banks for the first time. The commitment, which has continued every year since then, supplements the permanent donation of food by stores and warehouses that can no longer be sold but can be consumed safely.
