Five years of strength: Voslapper Grocery Box celebrates its anniversary in Wilhelmshaven

Five years of strength: Voslapper Grocery Box celebrates its anniversary in Wilhelmshaven

A very special anniversary is being celebrated in Wilhelmshaven these days: the “Voslapper Grocery Box” is five years old. This initiative has established itself as an important point of contact for those in need during the Corona crisis by providing food around the clock. But how did this valuable facility come about? It was brought into being after the Wilhelmshaven Tafel had to stop operating. This story is above all one of commitment and mutual help.

Under the motto “Take as much as you need and give as much as you can,” the box provides essential foods such as pasta, rice, oil and canned goods. The support comes from numerous volunteers who ensure that there are always enough goods available. Parish priest Peter Sicking attaches great importance to local solidarity and emphasizes the need for support for people in need.

Church service under the motto “Strong for the Weak”

To mark this solemn occasion, a special service will take place on Sunday, June 22nd at 11 a.m. in St. Martin's Church. This is designed by Pastor Sicking and a team of editors from the community. The motto “Strong for the weak” emphasizes the importance of helping those in need. In addition, Wilhelmshaven's honorary citizen, August Desenz, will also be present to support the project. He had a new iron stand for the food box financed with funds from the August Desenz Barrel Organ Foundation, which further ensures the sustainability of the project.

The collection from the service is earmarked for the food box. Visitors are also asked to bring basic groceries and canned goods to keep the box well-stocked.

The location of the food banks in Germany

The food banks rely on donations as they do not receive any government subsidies. Over 960 regional food banks, coordinated by the Bundesverband Deutsche Tafel e.V., do important work every day to minimize food waste and support people in need. Over 60,000 volunteers work for the food banks nationwide in order to enable the core business of distributing food and other support services such as advice or German courses.

The “Voslapper Grocery Box” is not just a local initiative, but also part of a larger network of help offers that is providing support for many people in an increasingly challenging time. So if you have time on Sunday, stop by and contribute to the big anniversary!

You can find more information about the “Voslapper Food Box” in [NWZonline](https://www.nwzonline.de/wilhelmshaven/st-martin-kirche-in-wilhelmshaven-voslapper-lebensmittelkiste- Feiert-fuenften-geburtstag_a_4,2,1040931167.html). The challenges faced by Tafeln in Germany are described by Tafel.de and in-depth insights are offered by Arbeitslosenselbsthilfe.