Food Bank Albania

Context

Poverty and hunger are two massive problems in Albania. The country is home to nearly half a million people living below the poverty line (approximately €1/day). At the national level, an average family devotes 58.5% of its budget to food. The most marginalised families can spend up to 80% of their budget on food expenses. Meanwhile, various studies have shown that if 20% of food waste were redistributed in Albania, 117,000 people could become food secure. Therefore, to fight poverty and hunger (Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 2) and to give meaning to the figures previously mentioned, Food Bank Albania was created in 2013. 

The project

Created ten years ago, Food Bank Albania is a non-profit organisation dedicated to fighting poverty and food waste. The foundation revolves around three main objectives: 

• Collecting surplus and donated food for distribution. The Food Bank collaborates with commercial and community partners to identify and collect food.
• Collaborating with existing non-profit organisations to distribute food. Once the food has been collected, Food Bank Albania coordinates with its partners to determine where to give it and to whom.
• Educating young people about food waste and poverty. The Food Bank works with schools to create dedicated educational programs.

Besides these goals, the organisation also carries out lobbying and fundraising activities and works with different local authorities and municipalities.

In 2017, Food Bank Albania launched the “Fresh Food” project, which aims to collect fresh products on a daily basis, transform them and offer them to disadvantaged populations during soup kitchens. In 2018, up to ten soup kitchens were organised daily, half of them in Tirana, where the majority of the population lives. The project has since expanded to Elbasan and other cities in Albania and aims to guarantee everyone’s right to access healthy and quality food.

Food Bank Albania also created the Seeds project to support farmers in need by providing them with quality seeds. This initiative is a way to help families living in the most remote rural areas (who can hardly access food aid) throughout the year. In 2022, the organisation distributed 2,500 seed packages.

As the country’s main food bank, Food Bank Albania is an associate member of FEBA (European Food Banks Federation) and collaborates with FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation) for its awareness and education actions.

Results

Since its creation, Food Bank Albania has distributed food products to thousands of people. The organisation has also educated and raised awareness about food waste among many children since 2015. In 2022, Food Bank Albania gave nearly 300 tons of products across the country, including 132 tons of fresh products. It mobilised more than 280 volunteers and more than 90 partners to help the most disadvantaged populations at the national and local levels.

The organisation now seeks to introduce legislative changes in Albania so that food donations are recognised and promoted nationally (currently, it is cheaper for a company to waste its surplus than to redistribute it).

Little Extra

It is important to know that Food Bank Albania remains, even today, a rare initiative in Albania. Indeed, solidarity organisations and networks are not widespread in the country, and state aid is rare. Food Bank Albania is, therefore, a pioneer in this field, providing valuable assistance to the country’s most vulnerable populations.

Sources

This sheet was written by Camille Perigaud, an intern at Let’s Food in May 2023.

Last modification : 29 Jun 2023.