Food collections 2021

Every year, usually at the end of November – early December, many FEBA members organise a national Food Collection in collaboration with retailers. During this occasion citizens are invited to make a gesture of solidarity purchasing food when they are grocery shopping and donating this food to Food Banks. Food Collections are only made possible by the collaboration of thousands of supermarkets and retailers and the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of volunteers and millions of citizens.

Interview of Bernard Dandrel, Founder of the European Food Banks Federation, on the importance of food collections, realised on the occasion of FEBA 35th Anniversary on 24 September 2021

FOOD BANK ALBANIA / Albania

The food collection from Food Bank Albania is organised this year in stores with volunteers.

WIENER TAFEL / Austria

Small food collections are organised throughout the year in single supermarkets.

BANQUES ALIMENTAIRES - VOEDSELBANKEN / Belgium

The food collection is organised in Delhaize shops, with the presence of volunteers from 2 to 8 December.

CESKA FEDERACE POTRAVINOVYCH BANK / Czech Republic

Traditional Autumn food collection was held on Saturday 20th November in more than 1300 stores in Czech Republic.

In one day, people donate over 410 tons of food and hygiene products. Adding the online collection, 580 tons were collected in total.

In cooperation with volunteers and employees of market chains this year was the largest store food collection in the history of Czech Food Banks.

BANQUES ALIMENTAIRES / France

The Banques Alimentaires have drawn up an assessment of their national collection which took place at the end of November. The total amount of the 2021 “Collecte Nationale” is 10,000 tons, which is the equivalent of 20 million meals. This is 3 million fewer meals than in 2019, during a classic collection outside the crisis.

This year, with an increase in demand of almost 12% in the third quarter, the French Food Banks fear that they will not be able to carry out their mission of fighting food insecurity with serenity.

With monpaniersolidaire.org, there is still time to participate online

For the second year in a row, donors can support the action of the Food Banks by offering a basket to the most precarious on monpaniersolidaire.org and thus contribute to the National Collection online. This financial donation will be used to purchase food products. Online donations are open until 15 December!

BANQUES ALIMENTAIRES / France

This year, with an increase in demand of almost 12% in the third quarter, the French Food Banks fear that they will not be able to carry out their mission of fighting food insecurity with serenity.

With monpaniersolidaire.org, there is still time to participate online

TAFEL DEUTSCHLAND / Germany

Tafel Deutschland organised one food collection with Lidl in July and another one with Rewe in October.

FOOD BANK GREECE / Greece

A food collection was organised on 5 November in Greece, but for the moment the covid situation doesn’t alllow the Food Bank to plan another food collection before the end of the year.

MAGYAR ELELMISZERBANK EGYESULET / Hungary

With this year’s collection, Magyar Élelmiszerbank Egyesület reached a huge record: 348 tons of non-perishable food. That counts 223 kilograms donated in each minute of the 3-days-long campaign.

They not only far exceeded the last year’s 250 tons, but even surpassed the absolute record from 2019 (284 tons). Tesco has also offered a 20% top-up, based on the value of food donated in its stores, which represents 59,700 euros.

BANCO ALIMENTARE / Italy

The “Giornata Nazionale della Colletta Alimentare” celebrate its 25th year in 2021. 140,000 volunteers were present in 11,000 supermarkets across the country at the end of November.

About 7,000 tonnes of food were collected, the equivalent of 14 million meals, despite the difficult period and the inconveniences due to bad weather in many locations.

The amount collected will be redistributed in the coming weeks to approximately 7,600 charitable organisations that assist over 1.7 million people.

The collection continues online until 10 December on amazon.it/bancoalimentare and on the website.

MAISTO BANKAS / Lithuania

Maisto bankas organised a food collection with volunteers in stores in October.

FEDERACJA POLSKICH BANKOW ZYWNOSCI / Poland

From 15 November to 15 December it will be possible to donate online for the Polish Food Banks.

And on 26-27 November, volunteers will be present in stores to promote the food collection.

BANCO ALIMENTAR CONTRA A FOME / Portugal

The Portuguese Food Banks collected 2590.04 tons of food in 2021 (total of May and December food collection) through 3 ways of collection: with volunteers in the shops, with vouchers in the supermarkets and online.

BANCA PENTRU ALIMENTE / Romania

The Food Bank in Romania is organising the Christmas Food Collection with Lidl Romania. Volunteers will be present across 171 stores in the country.

POTRAVINOVA BANKA SLOVENSKA / Slovakia

Food Bank Slovakia is a partner organisation in the Tesco Food Collection organised online from 25 November to 24 December and in all Tesco stores of the country from 25 to 27 November.

FESBAL / Spain

“La Grand Recogida” will be organised in November with volunteers in stores across the country.

PARTAGE / Switzerland

The food collection “Samedi du Partage” was held on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 November, in 90 shops and supermarkets in the canton of Geneva, with the participation of more than 1,200 volunteers.

This autumn edition collected 213 tons of essential products, which represents 6% more than the last edition! All these products are currently stored at Partage, and will be sorted by teams of volunteers for redistribution to partner institutions over the coming months.

You can still donate online by clicking here.

FARESHARE / United Kingdom

The food collection will be organised with volunteers in Tesco shops.