Réka | Kis Diófa street

„I have been paying attention to Heti Betevő and similar food sharing initiatives since the beginning. This was the first time that I joined them as a volunteer. It has always disturbed me that there is a contrast in Budapest: there is an evolving trendy image and there is the sight of those who are swept aside, the ones who cannot keep up and the poverty in the big city. I spent last spring in Berlin thanks to a media scholarship, I got a lot of inspiration and motivation. I got to know the food sharing movement also there and I decided to initiate the creation of an overall food sharing platform in Hungary, too. It seems that there are some partners. The aim of the movement is to stop the food waste as it reached extreme quantities and to use the excess food in a rationalized way. Germans started with attitude forming actions in 2011, and now they are operating a nationwide platform so the extra food from households and supermarkets which are still useful and valuable but cannot be sold reaches the people who need that. They do not manage a food bank, but help that the extra food finds the people who need it. They installed food sharing fridges close to markets, in shops, anybody can put food in them. The system is based on trust, volunteers help its sustainable operation. It would be great to make the food sharing art of everyday life, not only the food donations. There are some food boxes in the countryside already.”