Food banks seek volunteers as demand for aid grows
The national umbrella organisation sees more clients and products, while local food banks need extra hands.
Voedselbanken Nederland helped more people in 2025 than a year earlier and worked with more than fourteen thousand volunteers. At the same time, local food banks report that they are struggling to find enough people for collection, sorting, transport and distribution.
According to the annual report of Voedselbanken Nederland, 155,600 people received food aid in 2025, 7.5 per cent more than in 2024. This amounted to 35,860 households each week. The umbrella organisation worked with 181 local food banks and 472 distribution points.
Although the number of volunteers rose by 3 per cent to 14,466, this does not mean that every location has sufficient staffing. Food banks operate locally and need different people for different tasks: drivers, warehouse staff, coordinators and volunteers who distribute parcels or groceries.
A food bank in Midden-Twente made a public appeal this year because it was short of hands. Among other things, it needs people to collect products from supermarkets, pack crates and help customers. Such signals show that a national total can conceal regional shortages.
Demand is not growing solely because of increased poverty. Food banks also write that they are reaching people more effectively who previously remained out of sight. At the same time, food aid remains dependent on donations, food surpluses and people's voluntary efforts. A national increase in the number of volunteers therefore does not automatically prevent a distribution point from having to limit distribution locally.
The new headline about a shortage at roughly a third of food banks could not be found in a public nationwide count. De Vector therefore does not write that this percentage is established. However, the growing demand for aid, the large number of volunteers and concrete local recruitment appeals can all be independently verified regardless of that percentage.
The debate is therefore about more than citizens' willingness to help. Supporters of additional public support point to the social function of food banks as long as people face shortfalls. Others believe that structural income problems should not be solved through voluntary work or food surpluses. The figures mainly show that both issues exist at the same time: food banks have become more important and remain vulnerably organised.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Voedselbanken Nederland helped 155,600 people in 2025.
- The umbrella organisation worked with 14,466 volunteers.
- Local food banks report vacancies and shortages in operational roles.
Left
Arguments Food aid should not depend on charity alone. The government should improve incomes and social provisions so that people do not have to rely on voluntary organisations for basic food.
Values Equal livelihood security, collective responsibility and combating poverty.
Consequences More public funding could provide continuity, but would require structural government spending.
Centre
Arguments Food banks currently fulfil a necessary role. Municipalities, government, businesses and volunteers can work together to ensure sufficient capacity, while policy remains focused on preventing poverty.
Values Pragmatism, feasibility and cooperation.
Consequences A mixed approach can help quickly, but leaves the underlying income problems partly unresolved.
Right
Arguments Voluntary effort and community involvement should be given room. The government should mainly provide targeted support and prevent organisations from being burdened with unnecessary bureaucracy.
Values Community spirit, individual initiative and limited government.
Consequences Fewer rules can offer local flexibility, but if the number of volunteers declines, coverage may become uneven.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved with corrections · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The key figures come from the annual report of the national umbrella organisation, and local shortages are substantiated by a recent local source. The unconfirmed national percentage has been left out of the text.
- confirmed In 2025, 155,600 people received food aid. — The 2025 annual report of Voedselbanken Nederland. source
- confirmed Voedselbanken Nederland worked with 14,466 volunteers. — Mentioned in the key figures of the annual report. source
- uncertain A nationwide count confirms that a third of food banks have a shortage of volunteers. — Not found in a public nationwide source; it was therefore not used as a fact in the article text. source
1 correction(s) applied
- Was: A third of food banks are facing a shortage of volunteers.Now: The stated national share could not be confirmed in a public nationwide count; local food banks do report concrete shortages. (The RSS headline could not be verified against an open primary source.)
Editor's note
The growth in the number of clients and volunteers is officially substantiated. The stated national share of a third with a shortage of volunteers could not be confirmed in a public nationwide source.Sources
- Voedselbanken Nederland publiceert jaarverslag 2025 — Vereniging van Voedselbanken Nederland
- Voedselbank Midden-Twente komt handen tekort — Twente FM
- Werken bij Voedselbanken — Voedselbanken Nederland
More on this in Dutch media
- Het Parool — „voedselbanken vrijwilligers”
- Trouw — „voedselbanken vrijwilligers”
- NRC — „voedselbanken vrijwilligers”