Magdeburg (dpa/sa) - Saxony-Anhalt supports the Tafel for the needy with 30,000 euros for a new central warehouse. "Last year alone, the food banks in Saxony-Anhalt saved 21,000 tons of food," said Social Affairs Minister Petra Grimm-Benne (SPD) on Monday. "For the first time this year, the state is providing financial support for the storage of this food." Tafel state chairman Andreas Steppuhn spoke of particularly challenging times. In view of rising prices, more and more people are dependent on food donations.
"With the state-supported new central logistics warehouse in Hohenerxleben, it will be possible to save far more food in the future than in the past," says Steppuhn. From saving the food to handing it out to around 100 places, 800 volunteers are involved in addition to full-time employees. Social Affairs Minister Grimm-Benne thanked the helpers for their indispensable commitment. "The boards are not just a place where food is handed out. Humanity and solidarity are conveyed here, encouraging words are spoken and help is offered."
At the general meeting on Monday in Magdeburg, it became clear that the food banks were very worried about the rising food and energy prices. Tafeln are not state institutions and want to continue to do justice to their work as a civil society voluntary organization in the future. "However, in times of crisis, this will only be possible with donations and even better financial support from the federal and state governments," emphasized Steppuhn. Grimm-Benne said: "The task of politics is and remains to ensure that the energy crisis does not turn into a social crisis."
