Roast, mulled wine, gifts – for many people at Christmas as, of course, can not afford the needy often. You are glad that there is the panel. A visit to the panel in Bonn.
“When I pick up food here, I can buy with the money I’m left with clothes for my children,” says three-times the father of a family. Together with other women, men and children, he stands in front of the flat brick building of the Bonn panel queue and waits patiently until it is his turn. His name, he doesn’t want to call it – out of shame. Every Wednesday afternoon, he comes and picks fruit, vegetables, bread and dairy products. Known to have made it to the Board’s attention. His wife has mental problems, he says. He helps with the cooking and taking care of the children.
Christmas gifts
The distribution of food to organize for the Bonn-based panel over a hundred volunteers. For the fixed time, you have to do more than usual. “We try to make the customer to Christmas special pack,” says managing Director Horst-Dieter Tontarski and points to the boxes full of mandarins, which has purchased a Bonn citizen extra for the Board. Sometimes, super markets and private individuals also donate Stollen, roasted coffee, and wine.
Want to provide all customers equally well: Horst-Dieter Tontarski, managing Director of the Bonn panel
For each needy family, this year there will be a package with food and toys for the Little ones, that the donors themselves. Over 700 colorful packages stacked now in the neighbouring Church. In between helper sit inside and helpers, to sort everything and see that nothing goes missing. One of them is the 22-year-old Isabelle is. Since two years she works each week, three to four hours here. For the case of the panel is a “cool thing” and a “meaningful employment in addition to the studies”.
Grocery store in front of the garbage bin
Isabelle, compared to the 72-year-old Bernd sits. He is wearing a cap and smiling. The former official wanted to retire, “what is Reasonable”. To help people, is for him only one side of the coin. He wants to make “sure that not too many food is thrown away”.
The panels in Germany, to meet two goals: keep food, can no longer be sold in front of the garbage bin, and let poorer people benefit. Claims to support up to 1.5 million people. The food waste is still very high: According to the WWF, every year, 18 million tons of food are destroyed – a third of the production.
A sense of shame is large
Although it has been established the Board as an Institution in Germany for a long time, for many customers of course there still with shame. Most of the panel guests don’t want to speak with us about your story. A pensioner told that he had heard a report on the Radio from the panel. “My wife and I receive money from the state,” says the 74-Year-old, “but it is not enough. We need the help of the Bonn panel.” Since two years he is looking for support here.
Patient Wait: customers stand in front of the Bonn panel snake
The poverty researcher Christoph Butterwegge the shy behavior of the customers is not surprising. To be “In a rich country poor, at the same time means to be marginalized, to be stigmatized, to be self-responsible,” said Butterwegge. “No one asked the poor in the slums of Nairobi: Justify to you why you’re poor? But the Hartz IV recipients in Germany, the demand is: you’re not a slacker, a quitter, a social parasite?”
It is in the rich Germany is not Unusual to be poor. According to the Federal statistical office, almost one in five-of-poverty or social exclusion is threatening. The most recent poverty report by the joint welfare Association counts almost 14 million people are Affected in Germany.
The causes of poverty, the panels in Germany can hardly anything. You can, however, alleviate the Distress. When we go again, has supplied the family with food. He is very grateful that there is the Bonn panel just for Christmas.
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Helper in Need: The rush to the boards
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