Four vanloads of food left over from orienteering event distributed to needy in Kotka

Four vanloads of surplus food from the Kotka-Jukola orienteering event were distributed to low-income residents in Kotka, Yle reports.

Inka Setälä, inclusion coordinator at Kohtaamisten keittiö, a charity-run community kitchen, interrupted her summer holiday to collect the donation. The food, originally intended for volunteers and spectators, included salads, Chinese cabbage, grated carrots, prepared meals, baguettes, filled buns, oat flakes, and margarine.

Demand was overwhelming. After announcing the free food on social media, an estimated thousands arrived within hours. The supply was exhausted in 20 minutes, leaving some without.

“People were coming in through the doors and windows,” Setälä said.

Kohtaamisten keittiö, operated by the temperance organisation Raittiuden ystävät ry, typically serves 800 people weekly. It regularly receives surplus food from schools, restaurants, and cafés. Its core mission is social inclusion, loneliness prevention, and substance abuse support.

Maija-Liisa Forsell, the event’s catering manager, said about 150 kilograms of food—roughly 8% of the total prepared—was left over, a typical amount for an event of this scale.