When we founded our association in May 2010, we defined our mission from the outset: “We will be the umbrella organization for food banks.”
Among our founders was Aziz Akgül, who played a key role in enacting Law No. 5035, which went into effect in 2004 and made in-kind donations to food banks deductible from the tax base. You can read our founding story at http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/yoksullukla-mucadelede-ideal-bir-model-destek-projesi.
You can find information about TİDER’s model, which prevents waste and provides vocational training to help those in need become self-sufficient while meeting their basic needs, and the benefits it provides in the following three articles:
http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/uc-yaraya-bir-merhem-destek-projesi-1
http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/uc-yaraya-bir-merhem-destek-projesi-2
http://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/uc-yaraya-bir-merhem-destek-projesi-3
We culminated the restructuring process that began with our general assembly in 2014 with the opening of our first Support Market in Maltepe in February 2015. In the speeches given that day and at every opportunity that followed, I declared, “This is our pilot project. After this, we will open another one on the European side. Then, we will expand this innovative social support model throughout Türkiye.” Along with all my colleagues who have worked professionally at the association, we began to voice this idea more frequently this year. Finally, last week, we opened our second Support Market in Bağcılar, a milestone for us.
This is thanks to the tremendous efforts of all our employees, especially our General Manager Ezgi Özkök, our Support Markets Manager Ersin Çeker, and our Support Market Operations Manager Burak Kaya.
Notes from the challenging preparation process
Let me emphasize that opening Bağcılar was no easy task. We began this process in the first half of 2016 and were able to open in September 2017. Two issues took a long time during this process: first, finding a location, and second, collaborating with the district governor’s office.
Our Operations Manager, Burak Bey, toured numerous locations to find a location. They worked through real estate agents and contacts. Ultimately, we settled on a two-story, 600-m2 building in a centrally located area of Güneşli, Bağcılar, which we found through a real estate agent.
Collaborating with the district governor’s office was also crucial for us. Over the course of a year and a half, we met with a total of five district governors or deputy district governors. Four of these were the District Governors and Deputy District Governors of Bağcılar, and one was the District Governor of Esenler. We had to re-explain our model to each new district governor. Although we ultimately received support from each, we were unable to reach a conclusion due to changes in location. The most interesting meeting we held was the third. Let me briefly summarize that day to give you an idea of what we encountered.
“What is in your interest?”
In the first minute of our meeting, the district governor dismissed us without even listening, saying, “I don’t understand this kind of work, and what I don’t understand has no place in my district.” We tried to explain ourselves point by point. Five minutes later, he made his second, unexpected statement: “Who do you have affiliations with?” We tried to explain, in our own words, that we had no affiliations and were children of the independent Republic of Türkiye. After explaining our model a little more, he asked, “What do you have to gain from this?” We replied, “Nothing. We just want to help those in need.” He seemed very surprised and asked again, “So, you’re not requesting any tenders or anything like that?” We explained that we had no interest in tenders, that there was absolutely no financial interest involved, and that our only request from the district governor was to help us identify those in need. He then invited us to the weekly board meeting. After that initial meeting in his office, we made a presentation at the board meeting, which included the relevant muhtars (headmen) and district stakeholders. One board member said, “We’ll do that too.” I explained the technologies we’d developed and the fact that food banking is essentially a technical and well-organized endeavor, emphasizing the need for expertise.
This long and challenging process didn’t diminish our belief in our work and model, and we continued our work unwaveringly. The District Governor of Bağcılar took office the week we opened Destek Market Bağcılar, and we held positive meetings with him. The Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation, affiliated with the Bağcılar District Governorate, also stated that it would support identifying those in need. Of course, before these developments, we had already begun working to identify families ourselves. As a result, we will be attempting a first in Bağcılar. We have established our own application, assessment, and family identification process. Our newly recruited Social Worker, an expert in this field, will manage this entire process. The District Governorate and the Municipality will also provide support with family referrals.
The figures provided to us for Bağcılar indicate that there are approximately 100,000 people in need in the district, 40-45% of whom are Syrian. Assuming we’ve helped 5,000 families in Maltepe, 10% of whom are Syrian, we need to double our efforts in Bağcılar by 20 times the total number of families. There’s no doubt that we’ll do our part.
And opening day arrives
We had planned to hold the opening at 10 a.m. However, due to significant traffic congestion, some people were delayed, so the speeches began at 10:30. Following my speech, Bağcılar Deputy Mayor Mehmet Şirin, Istanbul Deputy Governor Bahattin Atçı, and Istanbul Member of Parliament and Chair of the Parliamentary Petitions Committee Mihrimah Belma Satır spoke in that order.
The words spoken by the speakers, Ms. Belma Satır, Member of Parliament, and Mr. Bahattin Atçı, Deputy Governor, regarding me and my family were heartwarming. I thank them for their kind words. You can find the full text of my speech below:
Dear Member of Parliament,
Deputy Governor,
Esteemed President,
Esteemed Board of Directors,
Esteemed Supporters, Esteemed Members of the Press, and All Guests,
Welcome to the opening of the Basic Needs Association’s second Support Market in the Bağcılar district.
We set out to expand food banking in Türkiye and establish an exemplary model. We opened our first Support Market in Maltepe in 2015. We are delighted to have now brought the successful implementation we implemented in Maltepe to Bağcılar. As you all know, Bağcılar is one of the districts with the highest population density, and consequently, one of the highest rates of poverty. We will be a part of the poverty alleviation efforts underway in this region, in collaboration with government institutions and other civil society organizations. Just as we did in Maltepe, we will strive to ensure that families in Bağcılar can easily and regularly access their basic needs. We will also do our utmost to help them become self-sufficient by connecting them to suitable jobs through the Support HR platform we developed.
One-third of the food produced globally goes to waste, while one in five families in Türkiye lives below the poverty line. We are addressing both of these problems with our Support Markets. After our opening, you’ll be able to tour our market and see a wide range of products on the shelves. Each of these products is usable and would otherwise be destined for disposal. In other words, we’ve saved them from waste. We’re both preventing waste and preventing the environmental damage caused by the disposal of these products.
We’re working to ensure that this model becomes a model and expands globally, first across Türkiye and then globally. Support Market Bağcılar is a major step in this direction. From now on, we will open new Support Markets in Anatolia. We will continue to share our knowledge and experience with existing food banks through the accreditation and training system we’ve established, supporting them in implementing our model. With the software we’ve developed for this purpose, we’re connecting our Support Markets, accredited food banks, and all producers and retailers who donate products on the Support Cloud Platform. Through the Support HR platform, we will continue to connect those who use Support Markets with employers. I would like to thank our esteemed Member of Parliament, Belma Satır, Chair of the Parliamentary Petition Committee, and the entire petition committee for their unwavering support throughout our work, their continued support today, and their invaluable work to develop and expand food banking in Türkiye. I would also like to thank the Bağcılar District Governorate for their support throughout the planning and opening process. I also thank the Bağcılar Municipality for their unwavering support throughout this process and the opening itself. Our supporters, including CarrefourSA, Cargill, CHEP, Barilla, Green Chemicals, Nestle, Jacobs JDE, Evyap, Mondelez, Komşu Fırın, Peyman, and Unilever, who supported us with their product donations and other contributions. I would also like to acknowledge the valuable contributions of my late grandmother, who passed away last year. I would also like to thank her sister, Ms. Aysel Gemicioğlu, for being with us.
Welcome back.
We concluded a well-organized opening ceremony with a ribbon cutting, resulting in the following image:
From left to right: Deputy Governor Bahattin Atçı, Member of Parliament Mihrimah Belma Satır, my mother Nazan Öztürk, my mother’s aunt Aysel Gemicioğlu, me, Bağcılar Deputy Mayor Mehmet Şirin, former Member of Parliament and TİDER board member Aziz Akgül
In this shot, you can see my mother and my mother’s aunt with me. There’s a reason for this. As I mentioned in my speech, we lost my grandmother last year. I wrote an article about her entitled Following My Grandmother: The Anatomy of a Painful Loss…: http://serhansuzer.com/tr/anneannemin-ardindan-aci-bir-kaybin-anatomisi
My Grandmother’s Valuable Legacy
Ultimately, my mother inherited an inheritance from my grandmother. My mother said she wanted to give it to me. Instead of taking it, I told her I wanted to donate it to the association for the opening of the Bağcılar Support Market. I invited my grandmother’s sister to officiate at the ceremony. We are keeping my grandmother’s memory alive on the wall of the Bağcılar Support Market.
My mother, I, and my mother’s aunt are all together in front of my grandmother’s memory.
At this point, I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all our volunteers and supporters who launched a campaign and donated through Adım Adım to help launch the Bağcılar Support Market. We were able to open the Bağcılar Support Market thanks to their contributions. We were honored to have each of their names placed on the wall of our market. Here are three examples of those photos:
Here’s the wall displaying the names of those who launched campaigns and donated through Adım Adım.
We’re standing in front of the wall displaying the names of those who launched campaigns and donated with Adım Adım volunteers.
A photo we took with the TİDER team next to the wall displaying the names of those who launched campaigns and donated to the Support Market in Bağcılar.
After the opening, we interviewed journalists from Anadolu Agency, Hürriyet, Fox, and CNN Türk. Here are two photos taken during the interviews:
Below are links to news articles about us:
http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/bu-markette-para-gecmiyor-40585470
https://www.cnnturk.com/video/turkiye/destek-market-bagcilarda-acildi
http://www.sonhaberler.com/genel/bagcilarda-destek-market-acildi-h428564.html
http://www.star.com.tr/yerel-haberler/bagcilarda-destek-market-acildi-137395/
https://www.trhaberler.com/ekonomi/bu-markette-para-gecmiyor-h292956.html
http://www.medyapusula.com/bu-markette-para-gecmiyor/
http://yorumsizde.com/destek-market-bagcilarda-acildi.html
http://www.posta.com.tr/bu-markette-para-gecmiyor-haberi-1334646
https://www.haber50.com/genel/bagcilarda-destek-market-acildi-h213492.html
https://www.haberler.com/bagcilar-da-destek-market-acildi-10047462-haberi/
http://www.memleket.com.tr/bagcilarda-destek-market-acildi-1215613h.htm
http://www.sozcu.com.tr/hayatim/yasam-haberleri/10-bin-ailenin-gida-ihtiyacini-karsilayacak/
First Türkiye, then the world
If you ask me what’s next, I can say that by this milestone, we aim to expand to every district in Türkiye. We will do this both through our own Support Markets and through other food banks we will support through our accreditation system. We will save thousands of tons of food from waste and meet the basic needs of millions of our citizens, while also empowering them to become self-sufficient by providing them with jobs. As we expand the definition of food banking to set a global example, we will also aim to provide solutions to the social and psychological problems brought about by poverty. We will pioneer the implementation of our sustainability-based, meticulously planned model in many countries around the world.
A photo I proudly took at the Bağcılar Support Market. We will be carrying our model wherever it’s needed in Türkiye.
Tag: culture
