OREANDA-NEWS. October 20, 2010. In October, Food Bank (Toidupank) will launch a charitable coin collection campaign across Estonia, inviting people to donate their EEK coins for providing food to families in need, reported the press-centre of Nordea.

Currently, there are more than 100 000 people in Estonia who have difficulties providing themselves with their daily food; almost 20 000 of them are children. At the same time, hundreds of kilograms of quality food remain unsold or unused at a number of stores and producers. Estonian Food Bank was established this year to reconcile these two facts – on a weekly basis, Food Bank collects products that are about to reach their expiry date from stores and producers, puts together food boxes with the help of volunteers, and distributes the boxes to people and families in the most dire need. Currently, we can help people in Northern Estonia and in Tartu. There are, however, plenty of potential food donors and people who need help across the whole of Estonia.

The aim of the Food Bank coin campaign is to invite Estonians to donate their EEK coins for extending the scope of Food Bank’s activities. Every coin donated will serve towards making sure that, in Estonia, more and more deprived people, including children, would receive weekly help in the form of quality food.

Food Bank’s campaign partners are the Teeme Ara Foundation, Estonian Banking Association, Estonian Traders Association and G4S.

The following Nordea branch offices will be taking part in the charitable coin collection campaign: Hobujaama, Liivalaia, Akadeemia, Ulemiste, Tartu Kaubamaja, Parnu, Viljandi, Rakvere, Johvi, and Kuressaare.

People not wishing to make a charity donation, are welcome to put EEK coins on their bank account free of charge already since October 1. EEK coins may be deposited in all Nordea’s branch offices dealing with cash across Estonia.