“Reaching our limits”: the increase in customers poses challenges for the Schongauer Tafel

Created: 04/30/2022, 16:02

By: Theresa Kuchler

The queue in front of the food bank on Dominikus-Zimmermann-Strasse has gotten significantly longer since the beginning of the war.

New customers are not only Ukrainians - many Schongauers now also get groceries here.

© Hans-Helmut Herold

The number of table customers in Schongau is increasing.

Not only refugees from Ukraine take advantage of the offer - more and more locals come to pick up groceries.

The increased demand is a stress test for the Tafel.

Schongau

– "We're slowly reaching our limits," says Stefan Schütz from the Schongauer Tafel.

He is in a hurry, he talks to the local newspaper during a free minute in the car.

Like all Tafel employees in the region, he has his hands full right now: since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the demand for the food, which the voluntary organizations give out to the needy for a small fee, has increased significantly.

For weeks, Schütz and the 40 or so volunteers at the Schongauer Tafel have been counting more and more people queuing up for food distribution on Dominikus-Zimmermann-Strasse on Thursday.

"At the moment we supply around 30 more households," says Schütz.

This increases the number of Schongau households that get their necessities from the Tafel to a total of around 100.

The increase in customers poses increasing challenges for the volunteers around Stefan Schütz.

"It's getting scarce in terms of staff, space and food," he says.

So far, the situation has been handled well and no one has had to be sent away.

"But if the numbers continue to rise, things will get tight." However, some solution can always be found, the head of the board is optimistic.

Ukrainians receive unbureaucratic help - "It is obvious that they need help"

After all, the refugees, usually Ukrainian women and their children, receive unbureaucratic help from the Tafel.

For the time being, they don't need authorization cards, which normally have to be shown at the blackboard.

"It is obvious that these people need help," says Schütz in explanation.

Communication with the Ukrainians also works well - despite the language barrier.

“Google translator is a huge help there.

The rest goes hand and foot.”

But it's not just refugees from the war zone who account for the increase in table customers.

More and more locals, who simply can no longer afford to shop in the supermarket, are now taking advantage of the offer.

"People feel the inflation and price increases in their wallets," explains Schütz.

But even with the Tafel itself, you have to deal with the price increases that have set in since the beginning of the war - which poses further problems for those responsible.

Not only the food has become more expensive and correspondingly scarce.

The high energy costs also have an impact, especially at the filling station.

"We have to drive to the customers who can't pick up the things themselves," says Schütz.

This leads to high fuel costs.

The Schongauer Tafel is currently once again dependent on monetary donations.

The donation account

of the Schongauer Tafel is: Bank für Sozialwirtschaft, IBAN: DE 42 7002 0500 0004 8192 00.