World Monitor Magazine Spring Issue Spring 2021 | Page 92

EUROBAK AWARD

The first food bank was established in Kazakhstan

According to some data from the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan , about five million Kazakhstanis belong to socially vulnerable groups of the population , many facing the problem of hunger . At the same time , according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations , every year humanity gets rid of 1.3 billion tons of edible food , which is a third of all food produced in the world .
The idea of the Food Bank was initiated by an employee of METRO Cash & Carry LLP in Kazakhstan , Sabina Bakytzhan , and approved by the METRO AG head office in Dusseldorf as a part of the Sustainable Leadership Program in February 2019 . The purpose of the Food Bank is to provide food to socially vulnerable groups , as well as to reduce food waste by the receipt of food and other consumer goods from manufacturers , distributors , retail chains , and other organizations . One of the important tasks is to promote a culture of conscious consumption and prudent use of food products .
The Red Crescent of Kazakhstan volunteered to become the operator of the project . Eleven METRO volunteers and ten Red Crescent employees were working on the project for one year . In October 2020 , the first Food Bank of Kazakhstan was launched .
Since the beginning of the Food Bank ’ s activity , METRO Cash & Carry has financed more than four million tenges of food products , provided storage equipment , and become the first partner to ship the first batch of products ( 528 kg ) for the food bank on October 4 , 2020 . Within just four months , METRO contributed more than 3.3 tons of food . Underdog sport agency also provides financial support to the project . Since December 2020 , four more large international companies have joined the Food Bank as partners . Through joint efforts , 88 tons of food on more than 38 million tenge have been provided to more than 4,000 families in Almaty and the region .
The concept of the Food Bank of Kazakhstan involves the receipt of food and other consumer goods from manufacturers , distributors , retail chains , and other organizations for further transfer to those in need through the Red Crescent of Kazakhstan . In connection with the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic , the number of Kazakhstanis in need of food is increasing . In this regard , any help from businesses and caring people who can provide support is welcome . For more information please write to d . bakieva @ redcrescent . kz and sabina . bakytzhan @ metro . com . kz or visit the Instagram account @ foodbank . almaty .
90 world monitor