www.yhteinenpoyta.fi

Yhteinen pöytä – Shared Table

Yhteinen pöytä (Shared Table) 2012- is founded, funded and owned by the City of Vantaa and Vantaa Parish Union since 2012 City of Vantaa is the only known city which has made it possible to logisticate surplus food in a big scale City does not give food aid to people directly but makes it possible in the food aid network by creating an efficient and good quality logistical service and supporting community building capacities in the network   to stimulate citizen activities in Vantaa area especially in the group of low income and or the socially excluded The Food Bank or “Surplus Food Terminal” gives work to about 4+25 people a year (subcidiced employment) and to about 10-15 volunteers a year Inspiration comes from Berliner Tafel -consept and Foedevarebanken of Copenhagen. 7.5.2019

The Centralized Service of Surplus Food The Development of Participatory Action in Food Aid Network DONORS STORES S-ryhmä K-ryhmä LIDL FACTORIES & WHOLE SALERS CENTRALIZED LOGISTICAL SERVICE & TERMINAL COOLER ROOMS COOLER VANS EMPLOYEES TRAINEES EVENTS Network delivers (40) the food aid 20 NGOs 7 Lutheran congregations 5 Citizen centers Youth centers Other churches etc. LAHJOI TETTU HÄVIKKI RUOKA KAUPAT TEHTAAT TUKUT Educational cooperation Community building course 3 times a year Creating and supporting the community lunches Start-ups Consultations Developing bread lines into more communal ways of food aid Workshops, conversations, audits, information etc.

The main goals of Shared Table are to sustain a centralized logistical service of the surplus food in Vantaa and reduce significantly food waste to sustain an active network between companies, public and third sector (NGOs) and church plus educational institutions to strengthen multi-professional cooperation in the network to support community building capacities in the network to create more community lunches create and sustain work places in the terminal in order to better involve the delivers and recipients of food aid in the society and to develop policies and functions with them improve their wellbeing reduce loneliness by shared meals and by all means of citizen activity create meaning to one’s lives through work – paid or voluntary.

Surplus Food Terminal and the logistics to the network Hävikkiterminaali Surplus Food Terminal and the logistics to the network

Food gathers people together - Community increases well being In Shared Table this large network can concentrate to their own work, to the wellbeing of a citizen and different activities. The network gives away the food aid and many of them organize community lunches, which we especially encourage. Sustainable food aid system includes also welfare influences in health, nutrition, food safety and societies. It is paramount that food aid is high quality food and not waste. Eating together is an everyday social action and can strengthen communities. Equality is an important part of it.

Social Intergration Traditionally food aid is given in bags outside or inside and congregations sometimes have organized public lunches. Shared Table have increased the number of community lunches in past year also outside congregations We do not want to create more “breadlines” The social workers of Vantaa are also interested in working in our diverse network of citizen centers and congregations. In this way they might reach the people who never come to the public authorities We also already work with 2 different Universities of Applied Sciences (Diak and Laurea) Diaconia University and our own Diacon lead a course of Community Building for our network (Gable Method).

Strength from Community

Number of Stores collected daily 20 Number of Food Factories 4  Shared Table in Numbers 2017 3 vans + terminal Number of Stores collected daily 20 Number of Food Factories 4 Number of Wholesalers 7 Amount of places in the network weekly about 40 Number of community lunches in the network about 20 in a week Number of volunteers in the terminal 5-10 at a time in the register about 50 (Subcidiced) employment in the terminal in total Permanent and temporary Velvoitetukityö Palkkatukityö Työkokeilu Kuntouttava työtoiminta about 25 in a year 12 5 3 How many people benefits from us? about 5000 in a week Surplus food delivered in a week about 20 000 kg Surplus food delivered in a year about 1 million kilos Cost of a surplus food kilo compared to total costs about 30-50 cents per kilo