A small deed can have a large effect – Prikka’s donation campaign in Oulu from August 29 until September 12

In late August, the two-week Prikka donation campaign launches during which the customers of Kaakkuri and Haukipudas S-Markets can conveniently donate food products for local food aid.  

The campaign is hosted by the Prikka – food rescue project 2023–2025. The project has built a successful surplus food utilization model which makes the collection, distribution and re-utilization of surplus food possible. 

Prikkakeskus, a surplus food logistics center developed by the project, has operated in Oulu since 2021. Approximately 10 000 kg of food passes through the Prikkakeskus every week. The food comes from, for example, grocery stores, wholesalers and production kitchens. The donated food is delivered to 46 food aid operators who distribute it to approximately 3 000 people every week. 

“The number of people who need food aid keeps growing and we don’t always have enough food to share”, the Prikka project’s Project Coordinator Katja McQueen-Winberg states. 

“The goal of the campaign is to collect products that last longer, such as porridge flakes, pasta and canned food, at the Prikkakeskus. We distribute these products to food aid operators when the surplus food donated from grocery stores is not enough for distribution. With this campaign we want to ensure that everyone who needs aid gets enough food.” 

Donating is easy: customers may purchase products and place them into the Prikka trolley near checkout. A driver from the Prikkakeskus collects the donated products as they collect the grocery store’s own donations. The donated products will be shared with food aid operators through the Prikkakeskus, and they distribute them to people needing food aid. Food aid distribution and shared meals can be found online: ruoka-apu.fi. 

Donations can be made during the entire campaign starting from August 29 until September 12, 2024. Prikkakeskus staff and volunteers will be attending the donation locations as follows: 

• Thursday August 29: S-Market Kaakkuri at 9.30–11.30 and S-Market Haukipudas at 12.00–14.00 
• Wednesday September 4: S-Market Kaakkuri and Haukipudas at 9.30–11. 30 
• Monday September 9: S-Market Kaakkuri and Haukipudas at 9.30–11. 30 
• Thursday September 12: S-Market Kaakkuri and Haukipudas at 9.30–11.30 

Prikka – food rescue project 2023–2025 (September 1,2023 – December 31, 2025) develops new activities to utilize surplus food in the Oulu region. The project also promotes employment and volunteer activities and develops new forms of participation. The project is funded by the European Social Fund and internal financing by the project implementers. The project supervisor is the Deaconess Foundation of Helsinki and project operators are the city of Oulu, the Deaconess Foundation of Oulu, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Oulu and the Diakonia University of Applied Sciences. Read more at the address: hdl.fi/prikka-kiertoon