vMany pensioners in Germany need food donations. According to Andreas Steppuhn, chairman of Tafel Deutschland, “a quarter of the people who come to Tafel are now of retirement age. They get a low pension or a basic guarantee,” he told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (Saturday).
The development that more and more elderly people need Tafel support has already been observed in recent years. However, it has become even tougher since the Russian attack on Ukraine.
It is known that approximately every third food bank in Germany registered even more pensioners among its clients. “For a lot of people, going to the food bank is a way to save money and get through the month,” says Steppuhn.
Not even pension increases would have changed that. Steppuhn predicts that the number of elderly clients at food banks will continue due to high rent, energy and food prices.
Demand often exceeds supply
According to their chairman, many food banks have queues and have to temporarily suspend reception. Demand “simply outstrips supply in many places.”
According to the umbrella organization, as of February there were 975 food banks in Germany with more than 2,000 distribution points. Food banks accept food donations from supermarkets, discounters or large bakeries and pass them on to people affected by poverty for free or for a nominal contribution.