Skip to content
HelpBLESS
Join free
Browse needsPeopleFeedDonationsHow it worksPost a needSign in
MoneyFood & hunger

Feed 388 families each week at Bread & Beans Kitchen in Essen

Help keep a free food pantry open for families and seniors in Essen.

🇩🇪 Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany1,387 views
Simon Dieter Schäfer
Email verifiedDriver licence verified
Essen
Since 2021, our volunteer team has run Bread & Beans Kitchen every Sunday from the back of the old library basement. We started with 18 families, and now we feed 388 each week. Donations have dropped by about 32% this school holidays, while the line has grown every single week. We rely on volunteers - 20 of us - and keep no salaries or overhead. I buy staples at wholesale prices at the Essen market and keep every receipt. Each $25 feeds a family of four for a week. All of the funds go to groceries, fresh produce, and cold-storage costs. Where the $1,250 goes: • Fresh vegetables and fruit: $510 • Baby formula and diapers: $410 • Refrigeration and electricity: $330 Ask me anything below before you decide. I'd rather you were sure.
#food-pantry#hunger#volunteer-led#food

Updates from Simon

  1. Quick update: $300 raised so far (24%). we've started the first stage. Receipts coming as soon as I have them.

  2. Thank you all. We're at 8% now ($100). I'm honestly stunned. the first invoice got paid this week.

Donations

RecentTop gifts
  • Pablo H. Arias 🇨🇴 · $3

    “Thought of Simon all day after reading this. - Barranquilla”

  • Eunice Abigail Amponsah 🇬🇭 · $10

    “From my family to yours. Thought of Simon all day after reading this. - Tamale”

  • Gianna L. King 🇺🇸 · $20
  • Kalpana Sangita Karki 🇳🇵 · $10
  • James W. Richards 🇬🇧 · $20
  • Alejandro N. Muñoz 🇲🇽 · $10
  • Sunil D. Mishra 🇮🇳 · $25
  • Marlene A. Nkosi 🇿🇦 · $100

    “Sending love. Saw your post and had to give. - Bloemfontein”

  • Sem Lars Brouwer 🇳🇱 · $25

    “Praying for you. Gave what I could this week. - Amsterdam”

  • Naveen F. Chettiar 🇮🇳 · $25
  • Tyler N. Allen 🇳🇿 · $25
  • Antonio H. Campos 🇺🇸 · $15
  • Liliana B. Benítez 🇨🇴 · $25

    “God bless. Thought of Simon all day after reading this. - Medellín”

  • Maximilian Henry Simon 🇩🇪 · $10

    “Hope things get better. Hope this covers a bit of it. - Leipzig”

  • Paresh J. Trivedi 🇮🇳 · $50

Reviews

Only people who gave to this need, or whose offer to help was accepted, can review it.

No reviews yet.

Questions & comments

Ask before you give. Email-verified members can comment and ask questions - no donation needed.

Sign in or create a free account to join the conversation.

  • Ramon T. Mercado

    Rooting for you, Simon. This could happen to any of us. My cousin had a similar thing happen so this one hit home. Greetings from Bornova

    • Shapla Joya MukherjeeQuestion

      can I help in a way that isn't money? I'm near Essen

      • Simon Dieter SchäferOwnerAnswerID verified

        Thank you. If you're in Essen I'll say if something practical comes up. For now sharing this is great. Thanks for asking.

    • Hermann Rainer WinklerPhoto verified

      Best of luck, Simon. Hope this works out for you. Wish I lived closer to Guarulhos so I could bring a meal. God bless

      • Hala Rima Trabelsi

        Hope it all works out, Simon. Shared it with a few friends. My daughter saw me on my phone and now she wants to give her pocket money

        • Juma Mwangi MussaPhoto verified

          Take care. Shared this with my family. I'm in farming myself and wanted you to know we're cheering for you.

          • Okechukwu Bolaji Zakari

            Rooting for you, Simon. Projects like this are what make a place worth living in. Love from Miami

            $373 raised of $1,250

            Give

            More people who need help