Close to people | Stories from Bethel
She saves eggplants, tomatoes and cabbage
It smells of fresh herbs and ripe fruit. "A kilo of asparagus for 10 euros!" a vendor loudly advertises his wares. Fiery red peppers, deep orange carrots and lush green lettuce gleam in vibrant colours. The weekly market on Hansaplatz in Dortmund is a hive of activity - and Lelaina Otto is right in the middle of it all. But she's not shopping - her mission is to save food. The 25-year-old, who works as a curative educator in the Bethel.regional flow team, is a volunteer with the "foodsharing" organisation.
On her rescue mission today, Lelaina Otto is accompanied by two "food savers" who have not been with her for long. The trolleys of the three women clatter on the paving stones. The trolleys contain various bags, pouches, cool packs and storage containers. "We'll go past the busy stalls first," suggests the experienced food rescuer.
The Bethel employee steers unerringly towards a market stall selling vegetables. As soon as the trader sees her, he lifts a prepared crate of potatoes onto the counter. "The aim of food sharing is to save food from the bin," explains Lelaina Otto. While the trio stow away the tubers, a passer-by asks the vendor curtly: "Foodsharing?" When he nods, the older man signals his praise with a "thumbs up". Most people at the weekly market are already familiar with the concept, so the volunteers rarely have to introduce themselves.
In the beginning, the rather introverted Dortmund native admits that it took her some effort to approach strangers. "If a more extroverted person comes along, I'm happy to let them go first." Lelaina Otto has been a volunteer since 2019. She had already developed a strong awareness of environmental and sustainability issues during puberty. "The film 'Taste the Waste' inspired me to become active in this area," she recalls. The German documentary film is about food waste in industrialised societies.
Lelaina Otto discovered her social streak early on. It all began with children's and youth camps. After leaving school, she completed a year at the Bethel intensive and outpatient assisted living centre in Dortmund, where she also trained as a curative education nurse. Thanks to the Flow team's flexible working hours model, she is able to organise her work and free time well, as food rescue is not her only voluntary work. She is also involved with Stadttaubenhilfe Dortmund Lünen e. V. and Naturfreundejugend NRW.
The young women are lucky again at the next stand: boxes of lettuce, mushrooms and vine tomatoes are already packed and waiting for them. "When the weather's nice, like today, it always takes a little longer to collect them because it's busy and we have to wait here and there. But it's worth it, because food that spoils more quickly is more likely to be given away," says Lelaina Otto. After just under an hour, the three of them have visited almost all the stalls. In the end, they get hold of waffles and flowers.
"The film 'Taste the Waste' inspired me to become active in this area"
The yield from this rescue mission is impressive: Cucumbers, lettuce, cauliflower, mushrooms, eggs, waffles, cakes, carrots and much more - goods that would otherwise have ended up in the bin. "As an outsider, you don't realise the extent of the waste. It's only when you stand right in front of it and see the quantities that you realise how much there actually is," emphasises Lelaina Otto.
After visiting the market, the food savers divide the food among themselves to pass it on to family, friends or organisations. However, the food is usually deposited in so-called "fair dividers". These can be bicycle trailers, fridges or chests that anyone can help themselves to. Lelaina Otto plans around two hours for the entire rescue mission at the Hansa Market, including the subsequent distribution - time that she is happy to invest in a good cause.
Text: Christina Heitkämper | Picture: Christian Weische
This story simply told
Lelaina Otto saves food from being thrown away at the weekly market in Dortmund. She is a volunteer with the "foodsharing" association and collects leftover fruit and vegetables. The rescued food is then deposited at collection points where anyone can help themselves free of charge.
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