A “Wise Greece” who has shared 20.000 (and more than that) food portions!
No one withstands facing as a picture in his everyday life, or in general as a “frame of his life”, destitute co-citizens who are unable to satisfy their needs. How painful when they don’t even have a portion of food! Melina Taprantze has been the head of “Wise Greece” and has explained to the HumanStories the model of “Wise Greece” and especially the way of causing a domino of many other interesting actions.
Pictures: Dora Topalidou (www.brightside.gr).
“Wise Greece” suggests eating but offering portions of food to those who need them! “Wise Greece” was established in 2013 to make a presentation of a new model consumption in Greek society. Τhe profits of the sales of nutrition products allow buying nutrition for those people who need it. The consumer chooses with criteria of the quality and the unprecedented in order to advertise the Greek products. Μoussaka with sauce, drinks with mastiha, pâte with tsipouro and many other special dishes…
Our discussion had taken place in the 1st Gourmet Festival of Greece.
During the last three years we have given 4 tons of food, a quantity of 20.000 portions of food to people who had had the need of this offer
“We are a type of social enterprise… We buy products from Greek producers and we place them to several spots for sale in Greece and abroad. At the same time we ensure the promotion of the Greek products, from producers who doesn’t have the opportunity or the experience to implement. By our mediation the products does not become more expensive as it happens with mediators. We already cooperate with 100 producers, we are having 700 products and exporting abroad except of the Greek market. The largest amount comes back to Greece. During these three years we have given 4 tons of food, a quantity of 20.000 portions of food to people who have the need of it.” explained proud of the collaborators’ good work in “Wise Greece”.
The target of the Wise Greece is to grow up consumers with consciousness…
”You cook in your own home with your ingredients and at the same time a co-citizen is having a portion of food he needs”
“Our office base in Halandri, is next to the social grocery store. If you visit this social store you will see its empty shelves. There are no money to support this social stores, despite it is a part of the financial program N.S.R.F. (National Strategic Reference Framework). People visit this grocery store but the only thing they find there is toilet paper. At present three millions of Greek citizens live under the level of poverty. The quantitative numbers are tragically big. So, a necessity had been born for a special offer and the correspondence has been big and increasing. Our action is recognizable because our method is having consumers with consciousness. It means that today, for example, you are going to cook for dinner spaghetti with sauce or herbs, and with this action you are going to help a co-citizen to eat a portion of food he needs so much.”
“When we started up almost three years ago, we wanted to see if this could work and could be proved viable. Subsequently, as we were observing the problems standing around us, we understood that we, all together, could become part of the solution. …without philanthropy or position of money in bank accounts. You buy the products, you help the Greek producer in general, the Greek economy, and you feed a co-citizen who needs it so much.” Melina Taprantze ended up.
