Meals served evolution;
Credit: Stëmm vun der Strooss
Stëmm vun der Strooss, a local non-profit organisation which works for the social and professional integration of disadvantaged people, has reported that it has been working in close collaboration with Banque Alimentaire Luxembourg against food waste and food supply precarity since 1 August 2023.
The Director of Stëmm vun der Strooss, Alexandra Oxacelay, said: "This partnership will greatly relieve the burden on the Stëmm's social restaurants in Hollerich, Esch-sur-Alzette and Ettelbrück, which have seen a sharp increase in visitors this year."
Thanks to Banque Alimentaire's personnel and volunteers, daily fresh and frozen food has been collected around the country. The goods are delivered directly to the Stëmm workshop Caddy in Sanem, where a team of 50 people benefiting from a professional reintegration measure, together with the Stëmm vun der Strooss chefs, prepare meals for the three social restaurants and create food packages, sandwiches, soups and more, which are distributed at no cost to around a dozen charitable organisations operating in the city of Luxembourg.
The President of Banque Alimentaire Luxembourg, Jean Rodesch, said: "We have the potential to increase the quantities collected of unsold food many times over. We just need an extra van and more volunteers." To reach this stage, Banque Alimentaire will launch its platform in four months' time to make it easier for potential volunteers to contact the charity. Until then, requests can be sent via email to president@banquealimentaire.lu
This partnership aims to allow Stëmm vun der Strooss to extend its help to a wider audience, as not only associations based in Luxembourg City will be able to order free food parcels, but also social services based in the south of the country.
Given the increasing risk of poverty in Luxembourg, Stëmm vun der Strooss is aware that providing meals at low prices will continue to be its main activity. The association noted that, in the last eight years, the number of meals served daily in social restaurants has increased by 81.5% (from 68,065 in 2014 to 123,516 in 2022) and the number of customers has increased by 150.7% (2,781 customers in 2014 compared to 6,972 in 2022).
