The panels in the district of Ebersberg are at the limit – Ebersberg

The little girl with the dark ponytail is beaming. In her hand she holds a colorful set of stickers: zebras, unicorns and, above all, lots of glitter. She keeps looking around. Exercise books, pads and a box with pens are on the table in front of her. “Is that for school? My brother can go there soon,” she says, looking around for him. He is standing with a bag in his hand in front of a shelf on which bread is lying. Next to it are boxes of fruit and vegetables. “You can choose what you like,” a lady explains to him, handing him a quarter loaf of bread.

“The table is there for everyone,” says Marile Ketterl. She and around 25 helpers have been supporting the organization in Ebersberg for many years. They have already experienced a lot together – but what they are experiencing this year is particularly difficult. “Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, more people who need help have come to us,” says Liane Spiegelberg, coordinator of the Ebersberg food bank on behalf of the Rosenheim Diakonie. The aim of the table is to save groceries from retailers in order to help those in need. Every Thursday is the issue day in the adjoining room of the Ebersberg evangelical church. The volunteers organize themselves weekly and bring vegetables, bread, meat and much more with them for those who don’t know how else to afford their meals.

Open detailed view

Open detailed view

The small room in the basement is bustling with activity. Felix Minicuta used to get his own groceries – today he lends a hand and carries the heavy boxes down the narrow stairs. There the women in orange aprons wait for him – most of them of retirement age – and sort the groceries into bins. The mood is good and there is a lot of laughter. “We’ve been doing this together for a long time,” says Marile Ketterl. Why have some of the women volunteered for several hours a week for the past 20 years? “You want to pass something on.” But the situation is difficult. “Compared to other distribution days, we have less groceries today,” says Liane Spiegelberg. The trick, she says, is to distribute the amount received to those in need.

“You have to share often so that everyone gets something”

Before the Ukraine war, around 20 to 30 households sought help from the Tafel every week. With the refugees from Ukraine, the number has risen to more than 65 households, says Liane Spiegelberg. To ensure that everything runs smoothly and fairly during the issue, every customer receives a Tafel ID card. In addition to the name, the composition of the family can also be read on it. The food will be distributed accordingly. On the day of issue, everyone will receive a ticket number. Access to the board is regulated in the order of these numbers. “You often have to share so that everyone gets something,” says Elfriede Bojer.

Open detailed view

She has supported the Ebersberg food bank since it was founded in 2002. At that time it was the first food bank in the entire district. It’s now almost ten. When they started work in 2002, says Elfriede Bojer, all the donations were thrown into a container. “After that we had to get them out with our hands,” the 85-year-old recalls. Today things are different. On the one hand, people are more sensitive to the handling of food, and a lot has also been learned in terms of organization. A learning process that also seems to have been transferred to the fluctuating number of customers. “At the beginning of our work we supported many locals. Then people from Russia came. In 2015, refugees from all over the world.” And today? Today you have more customers than ever before, says Elfriede Bojer.

Shops now plan their needs better, which means less food is left over

Since the goods are no longer sufficient for the increased demand, regular purchases of food have become necessary. The Tafel movement has largely prohibited itself from purchasing these goods in its principles, but due to the current situation, people cannot otherwise be adequately supplied, says Liane Spiegelberg. Another reason: Businesses plan better. At the end of the day, less food is left over or sold at cheap prices.

The Böck nursery is a company that is happy to donate to the Tafel. A total of three Tafel receive products from Neufarn: The Tafel in Poing for 15 years, Vaterstetten for three years and Ebersberg since this year. “For us, that goes without saying. We know that many people and especially families have a hard time and are very grateful for our lives,” says Florian Böck.

Open detailed view

Since the outbreak of the Ukraine war, the food banks have had significantly more customers nationwide, including in Bavaria, says Peter Zilles, chairman of the Bavarian food bank association. There are a total of 172 food banks in the Free State, some of which are no longer able to take on new customers due to the situation. But with this freeze on admission, says Zilles, the problem is only being postponed. Other panels would have extended their opening hours, and other additional distribution days would have been set up. And the food banks have also been allowed to buy food, which is otherwise not so welcome, in the past few months. A help that seems to keep many panels afloat.

The increase in food prices also and especially affects food banks

This is also the case with the table in Zorneding. “Before the refugees from the Ukraine, the food donations were sufficient. Due to the large number of new customers, we have to buy groceries cheaply,” says Franz Bachl, chairman of the Zornedinger Tafel. The price increases for groceries are also causing problems for his facility, especially when groceries have to be bought. The situation is similar for other panels in the district.

Some of the donations are also distributed centrally to the food banks. For example, the Tafel in Grafing, Vaterstetten, Ebersberg and Zorneding received a fuel subsidy, says Peter Zilles. With the next payments, the panels will then be supported with their energy costs.

“Monetary donations are important and we are grateful for them. But we urgently need donations in kind,” says Oliver Westphalen. He is the manager of the neighborhood aid in Vaterstetten. The Vaterstetten-Grasbrunn food bank has also been in the midst of a supply shortage since the Ukraine war. And so they too have to make do with acquisitions. But from October this will no longer be possible, says Westphalen. Therefore, it is important that food and other donations in kind are given. The Tafel in Vaterstetten has one so that donors know what food is currently needed Wishlist on their website deposited.

In Grafing you also face a big challenge. “Since the outbreak of war, customers have tripled – there are twice as many refugees as regular customers,” says Alexander Frederik Koelbl. He is the contact person for the Grafing table. But it’s not just people from Ukraine who are looking for support. The number of Germans in poverty is also growing. New customers from Grafing, Vaterstetten and also from Ebersberg keep coming to the distributions.

Noisy Joint Poverty Report The poverty rate in Germany reached a sad new high of 16.6 percent in the second pandemic year 2021. The Parity Welfare Association counts 13.8 million people among the poor – 600,000 more than before the pandemic. But what does poverty mean? In the European Union, people are considered poor if they earn less than 60 percent of the national average per month. In Germany, this corresponds to EUR 1148 per month for a one-person household and EUR 1721 for a household with two adults.

In a country comparison, the Free State stands out positively – but inflation and especially the rise in the price of food does not stop at the people here either. According to calculations by Federal office of statistics food prices alone rose by 16.6 percent compared to the previous year. In addition, there will probably be rising energy prices and other living costs in the coming months.

Local government is doing its best

A difficult situation, especially for those who already have little. The rates of social assistance are based on the subsistence level. They are calculated by the state for one year at a time and were adjusted on January 1 of this year from 446 euros to 449 euros for single people, who should be available to live after deducting rent and additional costs. In the coming year, the state will provide 502 euros for single people.

The increase of three euros this year resulted from a time when inflation and war did not play a role. “No one was prepared for the war in Ukraine, and local politicians are doing their best to support us in the food banks,” says Liane Spiegelberg. The city of Ebersberg supported its Tafel this year with 3,000 euros and District Administrator Robert Niedergesäß launched, according to the helper, a special distribution from the Sparkassenstiftung for the Tafeln in the district. “This shows a way out for the current situation of the panels,” she continues.

The situation is extremely difficult for the people themselves. “Nobody can live with a standard rate of 449 euros,” say the helpers from Ebersberg. This is also why the panels are important: the volunteers understand the problems of their customers and have been supporting them in some cases for years. Kiwi, who wants to keep her name anonymous, has been on the board since 2012. “It’s like a family. Here you find comfort and support. Everyone is there for each other.”