The Peitinger Tafel and the new meeting café have celebrated their opening in the "Anderl". The result is not only a contact point for citizens affected by poverty, but also a social meeting place for everyone.
Peiting – Behind the counter, where the volunteers of the meeting café sell drinks and cakes several times a week, the tropical green of a jungle wallpaper shines. The large light bulbs hanging from the ceiling above the counter emit warm light, and the books in the cupboard across the street are waiting to be leafed through. For weeks, Gabi Sanktjohanser and Erika Schönenborn from the Helferkreis Asyl in the Peitinger "Anderl" have been renovating, moving furniture and lovingly decorating the dining room so that everything is ready when the café opens for the first time in the new premises on Poststraße.
Last Monday, the time had come: The Begegnungscafé officially celebrated its opening – together with the new food bank, which sorts, stores and distributes donated food in the rear area of the "Anderl" to the Peitingers who depend on their support. About 150 poverty-stricken citizens from the market town can be supplied with food by the facility.
New food bank opened in Peiting – Influx in Schongau had risen sharply
The opening of a food bank in Peiting had become urgently necessary after the Schongauer Tafel had recently recorded a strong increase in customers. "The influx has been enormous in recent years," says Stefan Schütz, who heads the Schongauer Tafel. Around half of the customers there come from Peiting.
With its own food bank in the market town, citizens no longer have to travel long distances, while at the same time the facility in Schongau is relieved. "The dispensing time in Schongau is shortened enormously," says Schütz. He had already noticed this last Thursday when the Peitinger Tafel handed out food for the first time.
+The newly renovated rooms with modern equipment are enjoyed by all those who have supported the food bank and the meeting café in Peiting.
© Barbara Mühlberger
About 40 volunteers could be found to help with the new food bank and support those responsible Petra Jaeger and Stefan Schütz. It remains to be seen how many of them will be retained as helpers in the long term, says John-Edward Schulz of the Diakonie Herzogsägmühle, which acts as the sponsor of the food banks. It is clear that every helping hand is urgently needed.
The market town had long been campaigning for a food bank in Peiting. "One of my first visits in office was to Mrs. Gutzeit," says Mayor Peter Ostenrieder, who sees the food bank with meeting café as a "great thing for Peiting". Birgit Gutzeit is responsible for the food bank in Schongau at Herzogsägmühle. With her, the head of the town hall met with open ears.
In the meeting café, a space is to be created for all Peitingers: "The offer applies to everyone"
As reported, the project could be tackled after the appropriate premises had been found in the old café "Anderl" at the end of 2022. They found comrades-in-arms in Gabi Sanktjohanser and Sabine Haser from the Helferkreis Asyl, who had already run the meeting café on Ammergauer Straße and have now moved with them.
When the food bank customers come to the food counter on Thursdays, they can stay in the café for a chat. "In this way, the useful can be combined with the pleasant," says Gutzeit. The room will also be used for counselling services, and in summer there is a small beer garden in the courtyard that belongs to the café. In the long term, the aim is to create a space in which all Peitinger feel welcome. "The offer applies to everyone," Ostenrieder emphasized.
The Begegnungscafé is open: Tuesday from 15 p.m. to 19 p.m.; Wed. from 14.30 pm to 16.30 pm and Thursday from 13 pm to 16 pm. Supporters are still being sought. If you want to help, you can contact us at peiting@asylimoberland.de.
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Donations for the social institution
Support for the Peitinger Tafel and the Begegnungscafé comes from some companies in the region. For example, Raiffeisenbank Pfaffenwinkel sponsored a new fully automatic coffee machine, which was already used at the opening. The company EPT was able to buy used laptops with money collected by its employees, which were refurbished and are now intended to support Ukrainians in learning German. The cake, which the Begegnungscafé sells to the guests for a small amount, is donated by the Sesar bakery. Further donations come from the AWO Peiting and the Peitinger V-Markt. The market town, which contributes to the rental costs, is also a significant sponsor.
