Katrin Kester, Account DirectorSabine Trudt, Project Management This project makes an important contribution to urban social welfare. Our support for its communication and collection activities extends beyond laying real tables: Frankfurter Tafel e.V. is running an accompanying print campaign showing how tables are laid right where so many people live – on the street. These ads are an invitation to help, aimed at all citizens whose plates are never empty and who don't have to eat in the gutter. To draw attention to the plight of the weakest members of society, we lay the tables right where they are – on the ground, on the pavements, on the streets themselves. Empty place settings you nearly trip over on your weekend shopping spree. Plates that are empty but for a few coins to encourage people to contribute. A flier in the form of a paper napkin and a promotion team that appeal for donations. All so that food continues to get where it's really needed – instead of ending up in the dustbin. This idea originated in the creative team. Obtaining a money-collecting permit from Frankfurt City Council required a good deal of effort on the part of the media department. Frankfurter Tafel e.V. is a private initiative that gets surplus food to people who really need it, instead of letting it go to waste. Its dedicated team of volunteers have been distributing food to the city's poor and homeless since 1985.In terms of goals and methods used, the project is similar to the City Harvest movement in the USA. To make it clear that it really is 'laying a table' for the needy, the German organisation chose the term 'Tafel' (= festive table) rather than the word 'Harvest'.Our collections on busy city streets were a great financial success, bringing a far better response than any the organisation had run before. Thanks to the strong interest taken by the local press in these "Tables on the Ground", donation levels remained high even after the action itself had finished.

This idea originated in the creative team. Obtaining a money-collecting permit from Frankfurt City Council required a good deal of effort on the part of the media department.