OPEN Supports Berliner Tafel e.V.

On Thursday, October 5th, 2023, at 11 a.m., the first donation handover took place at Berliner Tafel e.V. at Beusselstraße. We were able to handover nearly €500 in donation funds, which was collected through the sale of our Beezdorf Honey at the Biesdorf Center.

Our honey originates from our rooftop beehives, which we established in the spring on the roof of the Biesdorf Center. We have six colonies on-site, producing approximately 25 kg of honey each year. In total, we had 150 kg of honey to sell, and all proceeds were donated to the Berliner Tafel.

On Thursday, we were warmly received by the fundraising department’s management and one of their colleagues. The donation handover and photo session were swiftly completed, but we were fortunate to have the opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes tour of Berliner Tafel e.V.

Our tour began with some interesting facts. The attached photo shows one of the 21 vehicles currently in use for Berliner Tafel e.V. These vehicles collect food donations, including from various EDEKA, Kaufland, and Rewe stores, and transport them to the warehouse for hygiene checks. Sorting the items follows strict guidelines. Each piece of produce and fruit is inspected by hand, cleaned if necessary, and then either sorted in or out. Similar regulations apply to dairy and bakery items.

The majority of the work is carried out by volunteer helpers. In another section of the warehouse, over 800 food bags were packed for Berliner Tafel’s distribution points. These bags are always different, as they depend on what has been donated. It’s incredible to see how many people are supported by Berliner Tafel. In 48 distribution points, approximately 72,000 people receive food donations each month. Additionally, the organization supplies around 400 social institutions, benefiting an additional 92,000 people in need. As an added initiative, Berliner Tafel now offers cooking courses, with 4,000 children participating annually.

We look forward to continuing to support Berliner Tafel, as well as Tafel organizations in other German cities, with the proceeds from our honey sales in the future.

A big thank you to Berliner Tafel for providing us with this insightful experience.