Help and expand horizons
Softbauware employees work at Langener Tafel and bring 3000 Euro donation with them
Langen. This morning, Justin Fischer (21) wraps himself in the orange apron of the Langener Tafel, slips into his hygiene gloves and gets to work instead of starting up the computer in his office at Softbauware GmbH and continues to work on the ERP system for the construction supply industry. Together with Jonas Breuer (26) and Thomas Bienek (20), all dual students of business informatics and applied informatics in cooperation with the Rhine-Main University of Cooperative Education, as well as Elena Brüning and Christoph Reitz from Softbauware, he helps out at the Langener Tafel for a day.
For the past three years, the Langen-based company has dispensed with Christmas gifts and instead donates to charitable causes. The 82 employees get to decide who the donation should go to: this year, 3,000 euros to the Langener Tafel e. V..
But that was not enough for the employees: They really wanted to lend a hand, to provide practical help. They did not realize that this voluntary work would make a deep impression on them and leave a lasting mark.
"We have never emptied our two refrigerated trucks so quickly," Günter Böhnel, chairman of the Langener Tafel e. V., is pleased to say. In the morning, Tafel volunteers drove to the supermarkets and picked up food that would otherwise be disposed of - because it has a small defective spot, because the best-before date has been reached, because it no longer looks so good, or because the packaging has changed - the reasons are varied, but the goods are perfectly fine. The helpers of the Tafel move eight to ten tons of food every week in order to be able to serve the more than 800 households in their file of 2400 people.
The computer science students heave the countless boxes full of fruit, vegetables, bread, baked goods, cheese, sausage and drinks out of the vehicles and into the rooms of the Langener Tafel in Carl-Schurz-Strasse. Then they are meticulously sorted. Everything that no longer looks quite in order is disposed of - tangerines with soft spots, dried lettuce, damaged cottage cheese packages... . Then the small store is set up, a round trip past the displays.
The more than 40 customers of the day are already waiting outside, having paid their four-euro fee and drawn their barrel number. In a moment, they will be admitted to the store one by one - only four at a time. About 20 helpers advise behind the stands, offer goods. Some of them encourage the customers to take a potato salad or a chocolate banana, because many customers are often too reserved and shy to ask for something they would like. Many customers don't want to seem rude. To the lady who took the herring salad, Jonas offers another cooked cheese. Her eyes light up with joy, and she wraps it up. Jonas is touched.
Unlike other food banks, from which customers receive pre-packed bags because it is logistically impossible to do otherwise, the experience of visiting the food bank in Langen is like shopping at a small retailer. It's important to them that customers don't feel like supplicants, says Katja Bernhard, 2nd Vice Chair of the Tafel. And Elena Brüning from Softbauware emphasizes the value of this approach: "It also has something to do with dignity, and I think that's important."
When the board opens that morning, the displays are bulging. "I would never have thought that almost everything would be empty at the end of the serving time," Justin Fischer from Softbauware is completely surprised. He and his colleagues had to really economize with the goods towards the end, for example really holding back vegetarian food for those who are actually exclusively vegetarian so that they still get something, and advising the others to find alternatives. "And then making sure that there's definitely a lemon left over for the mother with the two kids who's further back in line... ." It did look like so much, Thomas said. But that makes it clear how great the need is.
According to the Softbauware youngsters, they were deeply impressed - in more ways than one. The mission made them aware of how much food is thrown away, and that is staggering.
They are also impressed by the 100 or so helpers at the Tafel, some of whom they had the opportunity to meet, such as 80-year-old Jürgen, and the equally aged pensioner with whom Thomas sorted the rolls. Jonas: "I am deeply grateful to the volunteers here for their work," Jonas says. They gave up free time, sports, time with their grandchild and friends, for example, in order to help others.
Above all, the Softbauware helpers are grateful for this immediate impression, which exceeded all expectations. More would have liked to come along to help, but space at the Langener Tafel is limited. They will tell the other 15 trainees and colleagues about this experience.
"It grounds you," says Wasiliki Koulis, commercial manager of Softbauware GmbH, who is proud of her dedicated people. "Such an experience of thinking outside the box also puts one's own existence into perspective," says Koulis. And of course it makes a difference whether you only hear about the food bank or experience what goes on there yourself. Donating money is one thing, but actually dealing with social issues directly and getting involved is at least as important.
According to Koulis, the intensive experience of working at the Langener Tafel has strengthened the colleagues' awareness of social commitment and has also led to the Softbauware employees pledging their support to the Tafel in the future. Even if there is a need and the Tafel is short of people to unload the transporters, "then call us, we will spontaneously come over and quickly lend a hand," is the promise. After all, Softbauware GmbH is located just around the corner, on Raiffeisenstraße.