The Food Bank receives a grant of DKK 4 million

1 May 2017

The Food Bank has received a large grant from VELUX FONDEN. The purpose of the donation is to strengthening the organisation´s earnings from their business partnerships.

With yet another large grant, VELUX FONDEN emphasises its wish to continue to fully support and further develop the Food Bank´s concept.

The main reason why the Food Bank holds a unique position today as the largest and the only organisation that offers a professional solution to food waste is very much due to VELUX FONDEN. In 2013, the foundation granted almost DKK 23 million over a four-year period. The aim of the grant was to develop and to ensure economically stable operations in Copenhagen and to expand to East Jutland. This has been successful and the foundation has once again decided to make a large grant for the Food Bank's continued consolidation and development.

The new grant will strengthen the Food Bank's earnings from business partnerships and increase the public knowledge of the Food Bank, thus making the Food Bank an even more valuable partner for companies.

"We have trust in the concept and have for years observed the Food Bank, which continuously improves on virtually all measured parameters. Primarily, the growth and consolidation of the Food Bank ensures far less food waste; while more socially disadvantaged people more frequently can get a good nutritious meal. The grant is our contribution to ensure that Denmark still have a sustainable food bank", says Senior Adviser and Head of Programme at VELUX FONDEN, Frank Ulmer Jørgensen.

Today The Food Bank cooperate with among others Netto, Jyske Bank and IBM. The cooperation with Netto is based on revenue from sale of water bottles. From every sold bottle of Netto´s own brand of water in their 450 stores 10 % of the earnings goes to the Food Bank. Among other things Jyske Bank has helped the Food Bank acquire members, as well as IBM has made consulting services available to the organisation. A company can support the Food Bank in various ways, and collaborations like these is exactly what the Food Bank will focus on now.

"With this grant from VELUX FONDEN, we have been able to hire a dedicated employee, who is to work solely to develop cooperation with our present food donors and to establish new business partnership models. These will help our economy become more sustainable in the long run and less dependent on funding", says Karen-Inger Thorsen, CSR and fundraising. She continues, "At the same time, we also regard it as a huge recognition, that a large and well-reputed foundation that has observed our work closely over several years, has chosen to support us further with a generous grant. This means that we are still on the right path".

Photos courtesy of the Food Bank (credit: Creative Commons, Maria Pagh and others)

Facts about the Food Bank
The Danish Food Bank is a nonprofit organisation fighting food waste and food poverty in Denmark. On the one hand, huge amounts of food are discarded on a daily basis in the food sector. This means a waste of resources and it causes a great strain on the environment. One the other hand some of the most disadvantaged people in our society are often denied the opportunity for a daily and nutritious meal, which is of vital importance to their health. The Danish Food Bank fights food waste while ensuring better food to socially disadvantaged people in Denmark.