In a pilot project, employees supported food banks in and around Cologne for a day. Here, four of them explain why they took part and what they gained for themselves and the company from their commitment.
Daniela Büchel, REWE Group Board Member for Human Resources and Sustainability
one: Dr Büchel, why is corporate volunteering relevant for us?
Daniela Büchel: As the Board Member for HR and Sustainability, I attach great importance to the fact that REWE Group not only strives for economic success, but also fulfils its social responsibility. Our 28-year cooperation with Tafel Deutschland is at the heart of our social commitment. Corporate volunteering allows us to get to know the important work of the food banks even better and at the same time actively contribute to the community. The aim is to inspire as many colleagues as possible to get involved in social and environmental issues.
one: What did you personally gain from the day?
Daniela Büchel: The day at the food bank in Frechen gave me valuable insights into the challenges that many people face and sharpened my awareness of the needs in our immediate surroundings. The work of the food bank made it impressively clear how important community support is and what a big contribution you can make with it. I also got to know some great people in the volunteer team at the food bank, who made me feel so welcome. I will keep in contact with the local contact person and offer my support. This experience has strengthened my motivation to continue promoting social initiatives and supporting important projects wherever possible.
one: What do we hope to gain for our colleagues?
Daniela Büchel: The direct contact and the opportunity to provide active support may motivate one or two of the corporate volunteers to get involved with the food banks on a voluntary basis. Our aim is to promote a corporate culture in which social responsibility is seen as an integral part of both professional and personal life and to encourage our colleagues to make a difference together.
Nico Lehm, Management Human Resources at PENNY Germany
"I've always been interested in what motivates people to get involved in social causes in their free time. Of course, I also wanted to find out whether this could be something for me or our employees.
I was warmly welcomed and briefed on site, was offered a job as a volunteer by everyone and was immediately able to start freeing the donated food from vegetable nets and packaging and sorting it according to various criteria.
The number of people who come to the distribution point always depends on the weather, as they sometimes have to wait up to two hours outside the door for their turn. It was quite cold on my day at the beginning of January. Nevertheless, the food bank was well attended with 60 customers, and in the end everything was distributed, which shows how experienced the volunteers are. Because they have to deal with different challenges spontaneously on every day: How many goods are there today - and how many people are at the door? How much can everyone take so that there is enough for everyone but nothing left over?
The original idea behind the food banks was to prevent food waste. I only really realised this in the course of the day's work through many lively conversations with the volunteers. Providing people in need with food that we can no longer sell in our markets is of course a good side effect. But the primary goal is to ensure that as little food as possible is thrown away.
As I said, my outreach day was at the beginning of January, and I was touched by the warmth with which volunteers and people in need wished each other a "Happy New Year" and how often people shouted "It's great that you're here for us again". As a stranger, on the other hand, I was met with bashful distance by many who were well aware of their precarious situation. But I also had many open encounters, with the Ukrainian gynaecologist who now sings in a choir thanks to a food bank supporter, with young people, families with small children..
What I take away from this day are the many conversations and the realisation of how much we, PENNY and REWE, can achieve with our donations. Through my eyes as an HR manager, I now ask myself what form of volunteering by our employees would help the food banks?for example, how could we bring together those who sort and provide the food in our stores with those who receive it? I can imagine that we could develop something from corporate volunteering that is feasible in terms of time for our employees and reliable for the food banks.in any case, I can recommend it to anyone who is motivated to support a local food bank.
My conclusion: do it."
Nicola Löns, Manager Brand Communications & Campaigns Umbrella Brand Campaigns, REWE Markt GmbH
"As I was involved in the Tafel bag campaign as part of my job, the opportunity to do corporate volunteering at the Tafel immediately appealed to me. The volunteers do a great job. They are a well-coordinated team, very well organised and friendly. I found the atmosphere to be very warm.what I particularly remember was that there was not only food, but also fresh cut flowers. I found the high number of elderly people who were forced to queue for food depressing.
My conclusion: Volunteering means giving time and money to help people and strengthen social cohesion, which is important and necessary in my eyes. My tip for anyone interested: don't be shy and lend a hand."
Laura Schmidt works at REWE digital as an IT Software Engineer in the Price Management team.
one: Mrs Schmidt, why did you apply for corporate volunteering?
Laura Schmidt: Social commitment is very important to me, and in corporate volunteering I saw the opportunity to spend a day supporting people who rely on the valuable work of the Tafel, while at the same time getting to know volunteering at the Tafel and taking my first steps in this area.
one: How did the day go?
Laura Schmidt: My place of work was the food bank shop, where the food is distributed to people in need. After the food had been put away, the distribution began at around 1 pm. At my station, the people in need were able to choose milk and yoghurt products.
one: Were there any formative/special moments that you would like to share?
Laura Schmidt: I was greeted warmly and openly and felt welcome and valued. The volunteers at the food bank were on hand all day to answer my questions and helped me to familiarise myself with the job. And I was touched by the gratitude of the people.
one: What will you take away from this day?
Laura Schmidt: I was really impressed by the dedicated teamwork and the appreciation of the people who rely on the support of the Tafel. By working as a corporate volunteer at the Tafel, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of how important solidarity and concrete help are for social cohesion.
one: What tips do you have for interested colleagues?
Laura Schmidt: Volunteering is the perfect opportunity to take a look behind the scenes and gain valuable experience.
Jochen Brühl, Project Consultant at REWE Group and Honorary Chairman of Tafel Deutschland e.V. on...
Over 970 local food banks in Germany aim to rescue food and thus help people affected by poverty. According to their own figures, they pass on 265,000 tonnes of food to 1.6 to 2 million people every year. The food banks are organised under the umbrella organisation Tafel Deutschland e.V.
The food banks have been around for a good 30 years - and REWE Group has been one of their earliest and biggest supporters ever since. Since 1996, REWE stores have regularly donated food that is still good but can no longer be sold. in 2011, REWE initiated an additional donation campaign for the food banks for the first time. With the support of customers and others, food worth almost 30 million euros has already been donated through the annual food bank bag campaigns, helping more than 4.3 million people affected by poverty over the years. Further information can be found at www.rewe.de/tafel.
refers to company volunteering, i.e. voluntary, unpaid work by employees that is organised and supported by companies such as REWE Group. The commitment of employees to social, ecological or cultural projects can take place both during working hours and in their free time.
A good example of corporate volunteering - in addition to the pilot project presented here to support local food banks - is the participation of around 100 employees in the Special Olympics in Berlin in summer 2023, organised by REWE Group. The spectrum of corporate volunteering ranges from individual departmental campaigns (such as Clean up Days or the construction of Little Homes) to supporting employees who are already privately involved, for example during the Ahr flood disaster. However, corporate volunteering is not only a contribution to tackling social or environmental challenges or giving something back to society. According to studies, it also improves the health of employees who get involved.
