Food Bank Operations during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany

The COVID-19 pandemic has a substantial impact on food bank operations. This article aims to provide an overview of the challenges and responses of food banks in Germany. Publicly available data was used and surveys were conducted among 948 food banks, at three time points in 2020. More than half of participating food banks were closed in spring, whereas nearly all were open again in summer. Food banks implemented alternative modes of food distribution and response measures to stay open. However, they seem to be less resilient to challenges like COVID-19, in particular due to their reliance on volunteers.

Automated summary

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on food bank operations in Germany, with over half of participating food banks closed in spring but nearly all reopening in summer with alternative modes of food distribution and response measures implemented to address the challenges. However, their reliance on volunteers seems to make them less resilient to challenges like COVID-19.