Every Lithuanian’s dream: to find a place to share free food

Lithuanians undeservedly underestimate Finland because they apparently don’t know that a vacation to that country can be especially cheap. Cheaper than anywhere else in Europe, because if you want, the food on the trip won’t cost you a penny. You will eat full and delicious, but I will repeat again, for free. There is no trick here, don’t look for hidden terms either. You will come, say you want food, and they will give it to you. In any city in Finland. It is true that it tastes better in the big ones, especially in Helsinki, where I visited.

This is because the Finns are extremely responsible people. They take care of each other and even foreigners. Food is shared because otherwise it would have to be thrown away. Here’s an explanation: it’s free to share what’s ‘on edge’, expired goods and finished goods. Some smart man from that country thought and decided that it was not really possible to throw it all away, it was a sin! The man convinced the largest companies in the country: supermarkets, restaurants, coffee shops, hotels, fast food kiosks, that everything that is no longer for sale must be shared.

In Finland dozens of different organizations have sprung up that have decided to take over this “inappropriate” food and distribute it to those who need it. I must emphasize that these are non-profit organizations, generally established by the state and the church. Since it is not difficult to understand, there really is no benefit here. Everything is based on the kindness and social responsibility of people.

When this initiative emerged, rumors arose that it would harm companies. That many of those who have received free food will stop walking to shops and cafes. After all, why buy if you know you will get it for free? True, the logic is. However, proponents of this idea have been able to show that such an initiative is not aimed at those who can afford to spend in restaurants. Yes, maybe next time they won’t buy a sandwich in a subway station from a restaurant, but yes. Businesses have reduced potential losses, the government has encouraged them even more, and introduced all kinds of benefits for those who donate food to charities. And they all did very well.

In Finnish culture, citizens are encouraged to live responsibly, without wasting food, household items or clothing. It is very popular in this country to buy everything second hand. From jeans or skirt to hair dryer and washing machine. There are big campaigns going on here encouraging you to buy a used one instead of a new one. The same goes for food. “Buy as much as you eat, don’t waste food,” the social ads say.

Every day, the main catering companies in the country place the products and dishes that have not been sold in special boxes, which arrive at the end of the day by representatives of the aforementioned organizations. Exactly what will be in them is impossible to predict, it all depends on the buyers: what they did not buy, they travel to charity. In one day, it could be a few hundred packages of cinnamon buns, fifty boxes of tomatoes, a thousand boxes of raisins, and a thousand more single bananas, peeled in bunches and not bought. And the next day, a completely different menu: five hundred packets of smoked salmon, two hundred heads of Dutch cheese, huge bags of crab-flavored potato chips. The food in restaurants and hotels is equally different. One day after a big feast, two hundred packets of ribs with caramelised onion sauce and beef fillets with potatoes make small, dry sandwiches the next day.

All of this travels to special broadcast points. There are more than ten of them in Helsinki alone. They operate on different days of the week in different parts of the city to ensure that free charitable food is provided to all who need it. True, I must mention that some emission points are preferred more than others. It depends largely on the volunteers who work in them. As I understood from the speeches, some institutions have more strict volunteers and accountants who make sure that only someone who comes does not get too much food. Others give complete rest as long as the man who comes can bear it. Of course, those places are more popular.

I visited the most popular dispensing point, where there is always a long, tangled line. It is true that now that the world is rampant with the coronavirus, much less is coming. Many are afraid of being infected, so instead of a thousand visitors, five hundred or only more arrive.

Most of the people are regular visitors who know the whole system, how things work here. They just line up and take small steps toward the goal. When it is finally time to choose products, tell the volunteer what you want. Yes, very seriously, you can express your wishes. For example, “Maybe you have a chicken salad?” Or “The last time I really liked lasagna from an Italian restaurant, maybe I did?” Volunteers check and, if they find it, give what the person who comes asks for. Then, when collecting prepared food from catering establishments, a person can take products brought from supermarkets. The volunteers prick it one, another, a third, says one person, they will take it or not. For example, not everyone needs a kilogram of cocoa, so if you know you’re not using it, so is a fairy tale. Instead, you get a pound of pasta.

What surprised me the most was that those in line did not have to register anywhere, did not need to obtain any certificates from the municipality or even prove in some way that they were in trouble. Everything here is based on the word of honor, the honesty of the people. In other words, if you feel like you really need free food, come pick it up.

I checked it out, I represented a long queue until finally the volunteer asked what I wanted. Interestingly, they speak not only Finnish, but also English and Russian. In Russian? You ask why in this language. Because there are so many Russian speakers in those queues. After all, the great mother-in-law, Russia, is a neighbor of Finland, so naturally thousands of migrants come from her in search of a better life, the other neighbor is Estonia, and therefore many Estonians.

I was surprised that the homeless did not accept free food. I asked the volunteers what kind of people are the main visitors to those places. They explained to me that homeless people often go to the extradition point in the very center of Helsinki, because they tend to rub themselves there all the time. And here in this place, where I was, thirty minutes from the center, in an industrial zone, migrants often come looking for a better life and all kinds of war refugees from Syria, Libya and the like. The volunteers would not be able to answer my curiosities if there were Lithuanians in the queues. As one of them said, it would be unethical because many people hide the fact that taking free products can be an embarrassment to them. The Estonian Lina gathered in the queue was not so correct. She has been visiting here at least once a week for many years. Meet others to come, including, as you said, ours. It is true that they did not remember the names and cities from which they came.

This Lina did not like the free food very much, she said she can’t do without the store, at least she buys fresh bread or dairy products. “I often get what I don’t need at all. But we exchange products with other women, one needs it, the other has something completely different, it is important to be friends with everyone here, so it will be good, “she said.

I asked the volunteers sharing food what happens if they see a well dressed person in line who clearly has no money. This is how the Finns explained to me: “He who shines with gold does not necessarily have much of that gold. We have people from Romania here with thick gold chains, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t give them food. If it came, then they need it, nobody stays here unnecessarily ”. Okay, nice attitude, so pure, so naive.
If you don’t regret feeding everyone, let them do it.

Imagine that Finland is so far along in the fight against food waste that in 2018 even the first WeFood shopping center opened in central Helsinki, selling only those products that will soon expire. Buying there is much cheaper than in any other store in the city. Interestingly, WeFood receives all of its merchandise for free, like a charity from other mainstream retail giants. What’s more, the state’s gift to this, say, startup is a tax break. You understand that they sell products for free and do not pay taxes. All they earn is for staff retention and business growth, as they want to open more stores of this type in other cities around the country.