Social commitment has been an integral part of our corporate philosophy for many years. In recent years, we have deliberately expanded this area because we see how many valuable initiatives right on our doorstep are achieving great things every day and are dependent on donations.
As a company, we are also closely connected to our region in our daily business: to the people who work for us, to our local partners – and to the conditions that make our economic activities possible in the first place. With our commitment in general and our Christmas donations in particular, we want to send a signal about how much we see ourselves as part of this community.
Support for the Altona Children’s Hospital
This year, our Hamburg Christmas donation went to the Altona Children’s Hospital. Part of the donation will be used to build a new playground on the hospital grounds. The aim is to create places where young patients – and their siblings – can make positive memories, even at a time that is often marked by worry and uncertainty.
In addition, we have sent donations in kind to the hospital in the form of colouring books and lunch boxes. While the colouring books can provide a brief respite from everyday hospital life, the lunch boxes are mainly used for young diabetes patients, for whom motivational, positive incentives play an important role in changing their diet. Small, everyday aids that can make a difference.
‘As a company, we feel deeply rooted in our community. That’s why we see it as part of our responsibility to look for places where support is not only welcome, but truly necessary,’ says Christian Sommer, Head of Purchasing & Sales at Backshop Tiefkühl GmbH.
‘Institutions such as the Altona Children’s Hospital do incredible work every day – often behind the scenes. If we can do our bit to make everyday life a little easier for the children affected and their families, then it’s money well spent.’
Three projects close to our hearts at the Queis site
At our warehouse and logistics site in Queis, we have once again distributed our donation this year to three institutions that are particularly close to our hearts:
- the Bus Vierjahreszeiten e.V., whose team cares for homeless people in the Halle area, thereby setting a visible example of humanity and dignity,
- the Kinderheim Machern (orphanage in Machern),
- as well as the association ‘Ein Schutzengel für Kinder e.V.’ (A Guardian Angel for Children), which is committed to helping socially disadvantaged children and families.
In addition to corporate donations, we are particularly proud of another aspect: the voluntary commitment of our own colleagues. In Queis, they also took part in a charity campaign organised by the association and fulfilled the wishes of 24 socially disadvantaged children. The gifts were presented at a Christmas party organised by the association on the second Sunday of Advent – a moment that left a lasting impression not only on the children, but also on our team.
‘Our location in Queis thrives on the people in the surrounding area – as employees, service providers and neighbours,’ emphasises Kai Gebel, Head of Logistics & IT.
‘Conversely, it is important to us to show that we recognise what is being achieved here locally. With our donations, we don’t want to “do good” from the outside, but rather be consciously understood as part of the community.’
Long-term commitment: Main sponsor of ‘Kicken mit Herz’ (Kicking with Heart)
In addition to this year’s Christmas donations, we have been involved in the ‘Kicken mit Herz’ initiative for some time now, and this year we became one of its main sponsors. The charity football match specifically supports the Children’s Heart Centre at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) and the children treated there and their families. Every year, teams of doctors take on celebrity and all-star teams with a clear goal: to raise awareness of paediatric cardiology and collect donations for research and treatment projects.
For us, this commitment is more than just sponsorship. It links our role as a company with an issue that goes far beyond the everyday concerns of the food industry: children’s health. Here, too, the same principle applies: as a company, we benefit from a functioning environment – and want to give something back within the scope of our possibilities.
See what this year’s event looked like here.
Mindfulness towards the region as part of the corporate attitude
For us, social commitment is not a ‘nice-to-have’ but an integral part of our corporate culture. We depend on a functioning environment in many areas: on reliable structures, on motivated people, on a supportive community – especially in challenging times.
By supporting the above-mentioned and other initiatives, we want to send a clear message: we see the people around us and want to contribute to a functioning community to the best of our ability.
In other words: for us, economic success and social responsibility are inextricably linked – not only at Christmas, but especially then.