As we begin this article, let’s first recall the definition of a food bank. A food bank is a non-profit organization established by associations and foundations that procures all kinds of healthy food, whether donated or surplus, stores it under appropriate conditions, and distributes these products free of charge to those in need, either directly or through charities. Furthermore, food banking encompasses not only food but also other necessities such as cleaning products and clothing.
Founder and General Manager of Oxivo, Sezer Arslan and I have known each other for a long time. He visited us at our old headquarters in Maltepe when I left the family business and started my own ventures. He told me how pleased he was with what he saw when he visited the market-style food bank, which I had initiated and which TİDER had first opened as a model, at the same location. Our friendship continued, and in 2017, when we first moved to the new headquarters in Çekmeköy, he visited me and, as always, we discussed different ideas, models, and technologies. Amongst many topics we discussed was “Vending Machine Food Banking.” This refers to delivering essential goods like food and cleaning products to those in need through a vending machine. We agreed that this was a viable and effective model.
Afterward, we kept in touch by calling occasionally. Last March, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I was pondering what could be done when “Vending Machine Food Banking” suddenly came to mind. I immediately called Sezer Arslan and explained that it was time to abandon the vending machine food banking system during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, he supported this idea, and we immediately began discussing how we could implement this project. Mr. Sezer not only spoke to us but also stated that they were technically capable of building this first vending machine.
Oxivo Provides Technical Solutions
The technical aspect, the most crucial part of the project, took a significant burden off our shoulders. Oxivo handled the technical preparation of the vending machine, while TİDER handled the operational burden of preparing essential goods and delivering them to the vending machines. The final piece of the puzzle was a public institution that would determine the location and identify and direct those in need. To this end, we began discussions in our own district, Maltepe, where TİDER was first established. We contacted the Maltepe District Governor’s Office and several private sector organizations regarding the location. However, unfortunately, none of these efforts yielded the desired results.
Kadıköy Municipality’s Contribution
Following the initiative of Oxivo, we contacted the Kadıköy Municipality. The Kadıköy Municipality was very enthusiastic about the idea of delivering essential goods to Fikirtepe residents through such a vending machine and immediately embraced it. Following our meetings, they suggested two locations where we could launch this project. The first was the garden of the Kadıköy Municipality’s Stray Animals Rehabilitation and Education Center in Merdivenköy. Everyone agreed that this was a very suitable location for the vending machine.
Ultimately, in the COVID-19 climate, everyone agreed that distributing boxes of essential goods in an open garden area, while adhering to social distancing guidelines, made sense. As a result of our meetings in April, all planning, vending machine production, and testing were underway, and while we awaited an opening date from the Kadıköy Municipality, we held the opening ceremony last month on 12 August.
Of course, opening during a pandemic isn’t easy. While everyone was wearing masks and practicing social distancing, I was the first to speak at this event. I’d like to share excerpts from my speech below:
Then, Kadıköy Mayor Şerdil Dara Odabaşı took the floor. He delivered the following speech.
The Mayor then demonstrated how the vending machine operated to the press:
After warm wishes and final remarks, we concluded the opening.
Following the event, we shared our joint press release with the press. I’d like to share our press release for further information:
Turkey’s First Vending Food Bank Begins Operation
The vending machine, unveiled to the press by Kadıköy Mayor Şerdil Dara Odabaşı last week, began operating today with an event attended by families in need.
The Basic Needs Association, which is working on an unmanned food bank project due to the pandemic, installed a food vending machine designed and manufactured by OXIVO Group in the garden of the Kadıköy Municipality’s social services unit in Merdivenköy. The vending machine was unveiled last week at a ceremony attended by Kadıköy Mayor Şerdil Dara Odabaşı, TİDER Founding President H. Serhan Süzer, and OXIVO Group General Manager Sezer Arslan.
Following the identification of families who would benefit from the vending machine, the food vending machine began operating on Friday, 27 August. On the first day, five families collected food and hygiene boxes from the vending machine. The families noted that the vending machine was quite easy to use and expressed their satisfaction with the project.
At the Food Vending Machine opening ceremony held last week, Kadıköy Mayor Şerdil Dara Odabaşı said, “The only thing to be celebrated here today is kindness. This is a project where technology and solidarity are befitting kindness. The only thing to be celebrated here today is kindness. And kindness where the giving hand doesn’t see the receiving hand. A kindness that is sincere, unpretentious, and doesn’t harm or allow harm. In this pilot project, implemented for the first time in Turkey, our municipality identified the need, developed the project using OXIVO Group software, and TİDER handled the supplies. In this respect, the project is a true example of solidarity.”
TİDER Founding President H. Serhan Süzer stated the following in his speech at the ceremony: During this period of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of our citizens who have never been in need are unfortunately becoming so. This situation will unfortunately continue to multiply until a vaccine or medication is found to eliminate the virus. Therefore, it is crucial for NGOs like us to take an active role in solving these problems. We want to do everything we can to help our people and our state. Since the beginning of the pandemic, with the support of our sponsors, TİDER has helped approximately 250,000 families. To adapt these efforts to the pandemic, we are delighted to launch the Automated Food Bank for the first time in Turkey. We would like to thank the Kadıköy Municipality for the logistical and operational support they provided to the project, and our strategic partner Oxivo for the financial and technical support they provided. Our goal from now on is to establish and support food banks in the form of markets and soup kitchens in every district of Turkey, and to implement Automated Food Banks in every neighborhood. To achieve this goal, individual support in collaboration with the public and private sectors is essential.
Food and cleaning supplies are available
The Kadıköy Municipality’s food vending machine, located next to the Stray Animals Rehabilitation and Education Center in Merdivenköy and boasting a capacity of 20 cabinets, offers two different types of boxes containing food and cleaning products. In addition to food and cleaning supplies that can meet a family’s needs for a month, the vending machine also stocks items not included in the boxes, such as biscuits, wafers, shampoo, and toothpaste. The food box contains food items such as tomato paste, oil, legumes, salt, and flour, while the hygiene box contains products such as soap, detergent, and bleach. The location of the pilot project, launched in Merdivenköy, was chosen as a safe, out-of-the-way area accessible by foot.
The Municipality Identifies Those in Need
Those in need are identified by Kadıköy Municipality professionals such as psychologists, sociologists, and social workers. They can collect their boxes at any time by entering a code sent via SMS to their mobile phones and entering it into the panel on the vending machine. In the project, designed and software developed by Oxivo, there will be no contact between people in need, suppliers, or municipal employees. Empty vending machine slots will be regularly refilled by TİDER. Products donated by individuals and companies as part of the “food banking” initiative will reach those in need.
After opening on 12 August, we will begin testing 15 days later and continue to increase the number of aid boxes we have distributed to those in need in Fikirtepe. In the initial phase, we distributed food and hygiene products. Later, we will distribute products for babies/children and animals. After perfecting the operational system for a year, we plan to bring ‘Vending Food Banking’ to other neighborhoods in Kadıköy. We will then take the necessary steps to implement this system in all neighborhoods of Istanbul and even across Turkey. Imagine if support markets (food banks in a grocery store format) and soup kitchens were opened in every district of Turkey, and our vending machines were installed in inaccessible neighborhoods. How would that work?
It would be fantastic. In this way, we will create a model that meets the basic needs of those in need, even in the most remote corners of the country, in the fight against poverty. Furthermore, a vending machine food bank is perfect for the current COVID-19 climate. In short, we are just getting started and have much work to do. We will continue to do our best for the country, with the best of luck. The support and cooperation of the public and private sectors are crucial to establishing this system as planned. This is a reminder to those concerned.
In addition, the involvement of the wealthy segment of the neighborhood who want to establish this system in their own neighborhood with the mentality of doing charity work and the establishment of the ‘Vending Food Bank’ by the well-off people in their own neighborhood will ensure the sustainability of this work.
