BASIC NEEDS ASSOCIATION
We are a non-profit civil society organization that strives to address one of the planet’s major issues by preventing waste while working to ensure fair and equal access to basic necessities for individuals.
Since our establishment in 2010, we have been combating waste and poverty, expanding our activities throughout Turkey with an understanding that food banking is an important tool for fighting against hunger and poverty worldwide. We ensure that surplus food, clean products and clothing rescued from waste reach families living at or below the poverty line through the shelves of Food Banks we support. At this stage, we provide support to those in need through our Food Banking Network spread across 7 regions of Turkey. As a founding member of the Disaster Platform, we also conduct humanitarian aid operations for those affected by disasters.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which we contribute with our activities
OUR VALUES
Transparency
We keep records of all our activities and the donations we receive and distribute, and we regularly inform all stakeholders through transparent reporting.
Impartiality
We focus on need-based assistance and employment without aligning with any particular views, and without discriminating based on race, language, religion, gender, nationality, age, origin, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation. We adhere strictly to objective criteria to ensure that donations reach the truly needy in a healthy and fair manner, conducting monitoring, evaluation, and assessment activities..
Sustainability
We plan all of our activities for the beneficiaries’ best interest and motivate them to achieve their own economic sustainability. We design our projects as a living structure; evolving and disseminating their impact to wider audiences. We ensure TIDER’s economic sustainability by both creating benefits and generating income through social enterprises opened by our economic enterprise..
HISTORY
In 2010, we began our activities under the name Food Banking Association with 9 founding members who worked in the food sector and believed that food banking is an important tool in fighting against hunger and poverty. We shared our knowledge and experiences about food banking with newly established food banks and supported these organizations with donations.
From the early days of our establishment, we made a significant contribution to disaster areas with the donations we received from our supporters. We also carried out development projects in disaster areas during the post-disaster era.
In 2014, recognizing that being able to work in jobs suitable for their competencies and talents is one of the basic needs of individuals, we added employment and development projects to our activities and changed our name to Basic Needs Association. With our “Support Human Resources” program, we started to provide vocational training programs and facilitate the employment process of those in need.
With the same vision, we also work on development projects prioritizing the economic and social empowerment of women in disadvantaged areas and conduct local projects on preventing child poverty.
In 2015, with the aim of spreading the “market” format, which we believe is the ideal application of food banking, we established our first food bank under the name of Support Market. The Support Market, established in Maltepe, Istanbul, was transferred to Maltepe Municipality in 2017 as it was desired to be supported by the local governor. Maltepe Support Market is the first of its kind as a food bank in a market format in Turkey.
In 2017, we were accepted as a member of the Global FoodBanking Network (GFN), which is the world’s largest food banking network. As the only representative of GFN in Turkey, we also adopt international know-how and experience to our local food banking network applications.
We regularly participate to the global conference called Food Banking Leadership Institute (FBLI) organized by GFN. In 2018, our Support HR model won the Innovation Award at the FBLI conference held in Texas, USA, for the first time.
Within the scope of the “Development of Food Banking Capacity in Turkey” project supported by the EU Civil Society Sector II. Grant Program, we had the opportunity to explain and disseminate the food banking system between 2019-2020 and enabled the opening of 11 food banks in 12 cities.
The Food Banking Summit, which was held for the first time in February 2019, made a significant contribution to the food banking activities by bringing the ecosystem’s individuals together in Turkey.
Since our establishment, our goal was always to expand the Food Banking applications among Turkey. With this motivation, TİDER is still growing it’s food banking network among the7 main regions for Turkey. As a founding member of the Disaster Platform, TİDER gave a significant contribution to the disaster fields, since Elazığ earthquake hit on January 20, 2020. Disaster Platform is a civil society network formed by relevant civil society organizations and stakeholders in 2020. For detailed information: www.afetplatformu.org.tr
