German food bank to serve foreigners again after controversy: reports

BERLIN, March 11 (Xinhua) -- The German charitable association "Essener Tafel" will once again serve non-Germans after its controversial decision in January to provide services only to Germans stirred public debate, German media reported on Sunday.

Officials in the western city of Essen said a decision was taken on Friday to remove the "temporary measure as soon as possible".

Jorg Sartor, who serves as chairman of the food bank's board of trustees, confirmed to DPA news agency that it will serve foreigners by the end of March.

The Essen Tafel took decided in December to ban foreigners from participating in the food bank's programs as of January.

Last month, Sartor defended the decision, saying roughly 75 percent of the people who went to Tafel locations in the city were foreigners. He said the board believed the figure was too high.

The Essen Tafel, like others across the country, operates by providing membership cards to those in need. One card is allotted per family. In order to qualify, a potential member must be a beneficiary of social assistance.

At the time, board member Rita Nebel said despite roughly 6,000 people covered by Tafel Essen membership, "you could sometimes pick the few German people out of the crowd at the food handovers."

Following the decision, six of the food bank's delivery vans and the entrance of one of its locations were vandalized, according to a report by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

Similar organizations around the country also criticized the Essen Tafel for its decision, arguing that people in need should not be blocked from assistance because of their nationality. Enditem