What Is a Food Bank?
We founded Bursa Food Bank to reduce hunger, poverty and waste together. Here is how it works.
How it started
It grew out of rising requests for help
For many years we had been giving scholarships to university students and periodic support to people in need. In recent years the requests reaching the association increased, and that created an awareness inside it.
In January 2020 our chair, Sertaç Şipka, spent three weeks studying civil society work in the United States at first hand and visiting food banks. On his return he shared his notes with members and volunteers; after the discussions that followed we launched the Food Bank Programme. Following talks with the Bursa Governorship Provincial Directorate for Relations with Civil Society, we made the necessary changes to our statute at the General Assembly and put the groundwork in place.
The growing number of people hit economically by the Covid-19 pandemic sped our work up.
Three working models
A food bank may work with just one of these models, or with two or all three together.
Recipients
From application to delivery
Who benefits from the food bank, and how, follows an order set out from the start.
Application
Anyone who wants to become a recipient fills in the application form on our Bursa Food Bank page.
Assessment
Complete applications are assessed by the field team of the Food Bank Programme.
Home visit
The field team visits the household; those approved after the assessment begin to receive support.
Delivery
Those who can come collect their goods themselves; those who cannot receive them at the distribution point in their neighbourhood, or the goods are brought to their address.
How much support is given?
Food banking has norms accepted worldwide. Monthly household support is calculated by multiplying the number of adults in the household by the annual food norm and dividing by twelve. We aim to provide that support in line with the goods donated to our food bank.
- 300 g
- One meal for one person
- 328 kg
- Annual food support for one adult
- × / 12
- Monthly share by number of adults in the household
How is personal data protected?
The food bank model is widespread around the world because it is a model in which people are not shamed while receiving support. Recipients are supported in a way that befits human dignity, and their information is kept confidential.
We carry out our work in line with our Privacy Notice (KVKK); those involved in the operation can only reach as much information as they need.
Where do we operate?
Under the Food Bank Programme we currently support families in Bursa only. Goods we receive as donations can be sent on to food banks we cooperate with in other cities.
Its role in disasters
The reason food banking gained a legal framework in Türkiye in 2004 is the 1999 earthquakes. In disasters, food banks can bring their distribution experience and capacity to the field quickly. In the earthquakes centred on Kahramanmaraş on 6 February 2023 we sent aid to the region from our food bank in Bursa, and we also took part in delivering aid in Osmaniye and Hatay.
How can you help?
Volunteer
Packing food parcels, warehouse operations, fieldwork and logistics — the workforce of a food bank is made up mostly of volunteers.
Volunteer application formDonate
You can give by bank transfer or card. You can also buy and donate goods yourself: food, cleaning and hygiene products, clothing, stationery.
Donation pageSupport us as an institution
The food bank model rests on cooperation; every successful food bank in the world has a broad base of partners. We ask institutions to get in touch with us before donating, particularly about tax exemption.
Food banking and the lawIf you would like to donate to the food bank directly by card, you can use this page. For more detailed information you can always write to us.
Food Bank Programme