Marcus Stelter: “Our aim is to redistribute food sensibly”

The Berliner Tafel has been one of our partners from the very beginning. But how exactly does the distribution of food work, i.e. the process that most people associate with the Tafel? To get a more detailed overview of food rescue and redistribution in Berlin, we spoke to Marcus Stelter - the head of the LAIB and SEELE coordination office of the Berliner Tafel - for our current Impact Report 2022. He tells us what challenges the Berliner Tafel is currently facing, what importance the Tafel has for people and what role the state must play to improve the supply situation in the long term.

Dear Marcus, what is your personal motivation to work for the food bank?

Essentially, there are two things that motivate me. Firstly, to do something about food waste and then the opportunity to help people in need - to do something meaningful.

First, tell us which areas you are responsible for at the Berliner Tafel and what your everyday life here is like.

I work in the LAIB and SEELE coordination office. This is, so to speak, the switchboard and interface between the 47 LAIB and SEELE distribution points and the Berliner Tafel. The LAIB and SEELE distribution points are what one traditionally associates with the Berliner Tafel. They are the places where people affected by poverty can pick up food for their private households. In smaller towns, people can go to a central Tafel distribution point for this, but since Berlin is so big, one place is not enough. In order to be able to help across the city, we have involved the churches. Churches are present in all neighborhoods and thus enable decentralized support for those in need close to their homes.

LAIB und SEELE is just one pillar of the Berliner Tafel, can you explain the other two to us?

In the traditional area of ​​the Berliner Tafel, food is distributed to 400 social institutions, such as homeless shelters, the railway station and city missions, women's shelters and drug emergency services. And then there is the children and youth project KIMBA, which teaches appreciation for food and healthy eating.

The food bank only functions thanks to the tireless efforts of volunteers. What are the biggest challenges in working at the food bank?

The biggest challenge at the distribution points is the long days. The first volunteers arrive between seven and eight o'clock. These are the drivers who then drive to the supermarkets. They bring the first batch of goods to the distribution points, where the food is received and sorted. The donations are a wild mix - lettuce next to yogurt, next to bananas, next to oranges. The volunteers make boxes of them by type. Meanwhile, the car drives further round to the supermarkets and the sorting hall of the Berliner Tafel. The whole thing goes on until 1 p.m. There is often a short break to calm down before the distribution begins. You can imagine the distribution like this: A shopping street is set up with a station with potatoes, a station with peppers and so on. Behind each station there is a volunteer, and they then hand out the food. The customers go through, say what they would like and depending on how much of the food is there, it is handed out. The entire distribution takes about 2 hours. But because more and more people are coming to us, it sometimes takes longer. Afterwards we clean up. The rooms provided by the churches naturally have to be cleaned. Then it's 5 p.m. and the volunteers go home after a long and physically demanding day.

What kind of people are involved in volunteer work at the distribution centers?

Retirees often help out at the distribution points because they have time. The food distribution takes place during the week, when most people are working. Sometimes people who are receiving social benefits themselves also help out. For many, the inner impulse to give something back plays a big role.

How was the whole thing perceived on a human level?

We have many food bank customers who come every week. Everyone knows each other. The volunteers know if there are children at home, if there are pets, if the family is away, who is sick. It really is a social space. BODY and SOUL, and when you know the customers and then have to tell them: "Okay, now you can only come every two weeks" - that's not easy. There are also many distribution points that, despite their efforts, say for exactly this reason: "No, we don't do it every two weeks," which I can understand because it is difficult. For others, however, the pressure is so great that they don't know how to help themselves, but nobody likes to do that.

Many people depend on the support of food banks. Do you think that should be the case?

Our aim is to save food and redistribute it sensibly. The central principle is that we support people affected by poverty and do not provide for them.

Who can get support from the food bank?

People who receive transfer payments can receive food from us. This means people who receive citizen's allowance, housing benefit, basic security and BAföG. But people with low incomes can also come to us. The income and the notifications are checked directly at the distribution points.

People affected by poverty then receive a customer card with which they can collect food.

How do you look at the new year?

We are working hard to expand our network of distribution points. My wish would be that we open more distribution points where people can come and pick up their food. The pop-up distribution points where we distribute pre-packed bags are a good interim solution, but not a permanent solution.

Share Impact Report 2022

The complete interview with the Berliner Tafel, further background stories about our projects, exclusive insights behind the scenes and everything about our joint successes can be found in the new share Impact Report !