The Jacek Kuroń award is an expression of appreciation and gratitude to one of the founders of the first Food Bank in Poland. The award is presented to a company or institution which recognises the needs of another person and helps Food Banks by supporting activities aimed at reducing the problem of malnutrition and food waste in Poland.
On 26th November the award on behalf of Raben Group in the Warsaw Olympic Centre was accepted by: Małgorzata Czechowska, Key Account Manager and Krzysztof Hajduk, Sales Director, Raben Logistics Polska.
“I would like to stress that this award is a distinction for the whole Raben Group. It is also a commitment for the future so that we don’t lose sensitivity to social problems - we live in a very dynamically changing reality and it is extremely important that we face it together. Therefore, I would like to thank all the customers of Raben Group who support the Food Banks by donating their products to them, because without them this award would not have been possible.” - emphasized Krzysztof Hajduk.
The Federation of Polish Food Banks and Raben Group have been cooperating for many years, saving food from waste and distributing in to people in need. Food banks obtain food free of charge from producers and retailers but they need funds for transport and storage. These are often products with a short shelf life. This makes the delivery time so important as it allows for transporting food to the people who need it in the shortest possible time. Thanks to the logistics support from Raben Group, Food Banks are able to more efficiently acquire food which hasn't been sold and which is still before the sell-by date.
“In Raben Group CSR is understood as cooperation for building social welfare so that our children have access to the same resources as we do today. The activity of Food Banks is extremely important from the social point of view because the scale of food waste - not only in Poland - is huge. It also has an impact on environmental issues. We, on the other hand, deal with transport and storage of products on a daily basis - also for FMCG customers, so helping in this area is natural for us as it results directly from our business activity.” - comments Jakub Krzewina, CRS Manager in Raben Group.
It is also worth mentioning that in 2018, as part of the #RabenExpress campaign, together with Rafał Gębura, an influencer from the “7 metres underground” channel, a report on the operations of Food Banks in Poland was prepared called “Let me tell you a story about a paradox.” Thanks to the film, which was viewed almost 500,000 times, the Food Banks collected PLN 100,000. The collected funds helped to save 800 tons of food from being wasted and to deliver it to those who need it the most.
“We feel that we are an essential link and we can work together to achieve the UN's sustainable development objectives, in particular: responsible production and consumption and the fight against poverty. We also hope that together we increase public awareness so that the actions taken are not limited to those who are directly involved. I would like to stress that this kind of cooperation simply pays off. It is very encouraging that on such a scale we work together for common goals - Banks as a non-governmental organization, Raben Group, our clients and other companies from the private sector, but also the public sector and state administration. I wish us more and more such projects, also in other areas, such as the environment.” - summarizes Agnieszka Haik, Business Development Director, Raben Group.
In order to emphasize its commitment to the fight against food waste, Raben Group decided to support the inauguration of the 23rd Christmas Food Drive by becoming the main partner of the event.
This year's Christmas Drive for the people in need organized by the Federation of Polish Food Banks will take place on 29-30 November with the participation of over 53 thousand volunteers. The action covers over 3.3 thousand shops in almost 550 towns and cities.