Postcode Lottery helps food banks
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12 May 2025 •
Reading time: 3 minutes In April 2025, Voedselbanken Nederland launched the ‘Ook voor jou’ (‘Also for you’) campaign with the financial support of the Postcode Lottery. The aim of this initiative is to reach people who are eligible for food aid but who, through ignorance or shame, do not receive it. According to Voedselbanken Nederland, around 540,000 people in the Netherlands need food aid, but more than 70% do not apply for it.
Henk Staghouwer, Chairman of Voedselbanken Nederland, comments:
“Poverty is not just a financial problem. It is a social and societal problem. On the one hand, people are afraid that asking for help will harm them more than it benefits them. On the other hand, pride and shame prevent people from asking for help. With rising food prices making staples like bread, dairy products and vegetables more expensive than ever, it’s all the more important to reach out to these people.”
The campaign aims to reduce the stigma associated with asking for food aid and to inform the public that the Foodbank is a voluntary organisation ready to help those in need.
The Postcode Lottery: Invaluable support
The Postcode Lottery, founded in 1989, supports charities working for a fair, healthy and sustainable world. Thanks to its participants, it has been able to make a significant financial contribution to the ‘Ook voor jou’ campaign, in addition to its usual annual support.
This contribution enables the campaign to reach a wider audience, using various communication channels to raise awareness and provide information about the aid available.
Immediate and accessible aid
The ‘Ook voor jou’ campaign offers unconditional food aid for the first four weeks. Thereafter, an assessment is carried out to determine long-term needs, with average assistance lasting around a year and a half.
People with financial difficulties can register via the official Voedselbanken Nederland website to benefit from this assistance.
Breaking the barriers of shame
A study by Tilburg University (April 2025) reveals that shame is a major obstacle preventing people from applying for food aid. The campaign aims to break this taboo by making help more visible and encouraging health professionals and social services to refer people in need to food banks.
The ‘Ook voor jou’ campaign is a call for national solidarity. It is a reminder that poverty can affect anyone and that asking for help is not a weakness, but a step towards a better life.
Thanks to the collaboration between Voedselbanken Nederland and the Postcode Lottery, thousands of people will have access to essential food aid, thereby reducing food insecurity in the Netherlands.
The Postcode Lottery in controversy
In March 2025, Dutch YouTuber Rick Broers, known by the pseudonym ‘Serpent’, launched a petition to ban the Nationale Postcode Loterij in its current form. In his view, the postcode-based prize distribution system encourages residents to play for fear of missing out on an opportunity, rather than for fun. Serpent also criticises the lottery’s aggressive marketing, including unsolicited advertising and promotional mail, which it deems intrusive. With over 20,000 signatures collected, half the target, Serpent’s petition could soon be considered by the Dutch House of Representatives.