SPAR Hungary donates half a million Euros to charity

February 1, 2017 IN THE CATEGORY: Community, Responsible retailing

  • Mr Tibor Dobson, Fire Brigade General of the Hungarian Association of Fire with Mrs Gabriella Heiszler, CEO of SPAR Hungary

    Download image

SPAR Hungary donated more than 160 million HUF (approximately €512,000) to social responsibility causes in 2016. The first donation of this year went to the Hungarian Fire Fighters Association, which received 100 new LCD monitors to help with the training of new firemen.

“As a family-owned enterprise, SPAR lays great emphasis on supporting those in need and contributing to social responsibility initiatives. We provide a significant number of product donations and financial support to different organisations and communities,” explained Márk Maczelka, Head of Communications at SPAR Hungary.

Charitable causes in 2016

Last year, SPAR supported almost 100 organisations and institutions across the country active in the fields of culture, education, healthcare, social welfare and animal protection. One such organisation was the Hungarian Maltese Charity Service, a strategic partner of SPAR’s for several years, which received more than 61 million HUF for different charitable activities. Through the sale of donation cards sold in stores, at OMV petrol stations and online, more than 10 million HUF was collected to aid families living in extreme poverty, and out of the revenue collected from the sale of charity shopping bags, 4 million HUF was donated to the Hungarian Maltese Ambulance Service. In addition to this, customers of SPAR stores donated a record amount of food products in December, with 288.5 tonnes collected for the “Joy to Give” donation programme.

SPAR Hungary is also committed to supporting local businesses and national activities and is a key sponsor of the Budapest Wine Festival, which promotes Hungarian wines. Proceeds from the festival’s Charity Wine Auction go towards the Hungarian Maltese Charity Service.

Continuing the charitable trend in 2017

SPAR Hungary’s contribution to the Fire Fighters Association is in keeping with its support for various disaster management services. “We have formed a strategic partnership with the National Disaster Management Directorate. We have also assisted the work of the National Fire Prevention Committee and supported numerous disaster management events and organisations throughout the country,” added Mr Maczelka.