Skip to main content Skip to page footer

"SAVE FOOD" INITIATIVE IN DÜSSELDORF

REALISATION

About ten days before each Fortuna Düsseldorf home game, the initiative vision:teilen distributes invitations to people in need via its “gutenachtbus” (goodnight bus). On match day, those invited receive free public transport tickets to travel to the arena, where they are welcomed by two volunteers from vision:teilen and at least one representative from Fortuna. Around two hours after the end of the game, around 40, and in some cases up to 55, guests are given access to the VIP area to eat in a relaxed atmosphere and fill their containers with leftover food.

The project is also so successful because everyone involved works together with commitment: Fortuna's club management actively supports the initiative, the caterer enables the food to be served by extending the working hours of its employees, the stadium operating company provides organizational support for the project, and the social initiatives provide volunteers to accompany and look after the guests on site.

BACKGROUND

After the second division soccer team's home games, up to 40 people in need, mostly homeless individuals, are invited to dine in areas where businesspeople and business partners normally enjoy fine food and drinks. Since the club launched the “Save food” campaign in 2019 in collaboration with Aramark, D.LIVE, and the vision:teilen initiative, guests have been allowed to help themselves to the remaining buffet food two hours after the end of the game, once the VIP area has closed. This means that the high-quality leftovers find grateful takers – and at the same time, significantly less food is thrown away.

Impact
Time effort
Personnel effort
Budget

CHALLENGES

  • Taking food leftovers with you requires bureaucratic effort
  • A written transfer of responsibility is required
  • The German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA) provides a sample agreement for this purpose

Contact

Further information can be requested via: nachhaltigkeit@f95.de.