De Groentedeler

Welcome to Stichting De Groentedeler!

A foundation, where we collaborate to harvest organically grown vegetables for those in need because we believe that everyone deserves qualitative, fresh and nutritious food.

We connect and act as one. We bring people together from urban and rural areas and invite volunteers to assist in both sowing and harvesting. We focus on sustainable food production and work to increase general awareness about the food we eat.

Take a moment to think about it… Are you aware of what you eat? Where do your vegetables come from? And do you know how they are grown?

About us

Set up as a foundation, the volunteers of Stichting De Groentedeler aim to work together in creating a better world. Our objective is to cultivate fresh vegetables so we can share these with anybody for whom a daily portion of healthy nutrition is not self-evident. In addition to the connections we have created in this way, our activities contribute to improving awareness; from the food we eat, to where it comes from and how it grows.

We are a non-profit organization. Thanks to the effort of the employees at the community supported agriculture garden Bij Mei and our many volunteers, along with contributions from various companies and organizations, funds and individuals, the foundation is growing steadily. This allows us to offer customers of Voedselbank Leiden fresh vegetables of the highest quality during the harvest season. Naturally, it is all organically grown and manually harvested.

Some facts

The gap between rich and poor in the Netherlands is increasing. The assets of the wealthy are increasing year after year, along with the debts of the poorest people in our society.
A growing number of families in the Netherlands are forced to rely on the Voedselbank due to high energy and food prices.
More than 9.5% of children in the Netherlands grow up below the poverty Initiatives such as De Voedselbank help to provide for their livelihood.
By the end of 2023, Voedselbank Leiden feeds approximately 1,600 mouths every month of at least 600 households. Among them are 600 children.
Each family receives food from De Voedselbank for 4 days a week. On the remaining days, they must provide for themselves.
Despite all the efforts of De Voedselbank, fresh vegetables are only available to families for 2 days a week.
In 2023 we harvested a total amount of 275 portions of fresh vegetables per week. This exceeds an amount of 8,000 portions throughout the entire season.
Just as Stichting De Groentedeler, Voedselbank Leiden operates entirely on volunteers. They perform physically demanding yet immensely gratifying work for those in need.
Increased awareness of food waste leads to better purchasing practices, less wastage, and daily benefits from initiatives like ‘Too Good To Go’. While this is a positive trend, it also means there is now less surplus of foods available for the Voedselbank.
Your support is crucial. Continuity in our funds, ensures that we can go on providing fresh vegetables to everyone in need.

Contribute to Stichting De Groentedeler

“De Groentedeler” means sharing vegetables, which you can be a part of. Contribute by donating once or, even better, structurally to provide everyone with a varied and nutritious diet. If you can’t simply spare an amount but still want to help, consider organizing a fundraising event or helping as a volunteer in the garden. Your help will be much appreciated!

Let’s share vegetables!

Community Supported Agriculture

Voedselbank Leiden now relies on two gardens for harvesting their vegetables. They cultivate at their own property called De Bontekoe and receive vegetables from Stichting De Groentedeler, cultivated at Bij Mei in Zoeterwoude.

Bij Mei is an initiative of Mariska Verhulst. A ‘community supported agricultural’ concept where citizens share in the harvest risks. They enroll in the garden and harvest their vegetables themselves. Annually, Stichting De Groentedeler purchases an increasing number of subscriptions for vegetables to donate to Voedselbank Leiden. At Bij Mei, our volunteers work together to weed, sow, harvest and rinse the vegetables before they hand them out.

Start harvesting at Bij Mei

The benefit of an ANBI-status

In 2023, Stichting De Groentedeler received the ANBI-status, which emphasizes the social purpose of our foundation. This makes it even more attractive for our generous supporters to contribute, since structural donations are now tax-deductible. If you are eager to know more about our activities, our annual figures, our policy plan and the members of our board, please read on.

ANBI-information