Volunteering, according to recent research, has a decisive and particularly important impact on well-being in the workplace, while also contributing to society as a whole.
Our "Be the Hero" program highlights the importance of volunteering, as well as its many benefits for our mental health and our lives as a whole.
Volunteering activities of substance
On September 29 2022, as part of both the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste and our new "Be the Hero" program, we organized a special activity. Our volunteer team, in collaboration with the NGO Love Dinner, prepared and distributed 1,000 portions of food to the homeless and needy in the center of Athens.
In November of the same year we organized a voluntary clean-up activity in Parnitha, in collaboration with the "Save Your Hood" movement. On that occasion we collected over 4,000 litres of waste and rubble covering an area of about 3,000 square meters.
And, as part of our commitment to social contribution, during the Christmas holiday season we helped our most vulnerable fellow citizens in the areas where we operate. More specifically, we collected almost a ton of food and delivered it to institutions and organizations in Athens, Alexandroupolis, Kozani, Evia and Patras.
Our activities continued in 2023 because, for all of us, volunteering is a way of life. We visited the "Chatzipaterio" Children's Rehabilitation & Support Centre (K.A.S.P.). There, we joined the children in creating special busy boards, making Easter candles and baking pastries, sharing love and offering support.
Protecting the environment is one of the key pillars of our strategy. True to our commitment to developing sustainable practices, we carried out another clean-up initiative in the area that surrounds the Vravrona wetland, one of the most important in Attica, part of the Natura 2000 network. Our team of volunteers, along with their kids, started cleaning up the area around the wetland, and by collecting a large amount of waste and recyclables, such as plastic bottles and aluminum cans, we significantly contributed to the reshaping of the natural environment.
Our efforts are ongoing and diverse, which is why our latest volunteering activity reinforced the most important value of all: saving lives. We organized a blood donation drive in our offices, which was met with enthusiastic participation by our people.
Employees as Heroes
Through these actions, we strive to become "heroes" in everyday life, enhancing social solidarity through initiatives that contribute to the common good. We show in practice, at every opportunity, our solidarity, support and spirit of giving to those in need. This is also evident in the informal reward system that has been set up internally. Through this, we all have our own personalized board on which we place reward stickers every time we take part in a volunteering activity. Those who collect the most stickers during the year will be the heroes of the city!
We demonstrate every day our commitment to a sustainability model based on initiatives and targeted actions with a significant impact on people's lives. Our Creating Shared Value - CSV initiatives are fully aligned with the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, with our voluntary program being part of SDG 2 - Zero Hunger, SDG 4 - Quality Education, SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalities, SDG 15 - Life on Land and SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals.
