Donating instead of giving. Marbach supports aid projects.

An exciting year comes to an end for Marbach. For many years now it has been Marbach's tradition to make donations to charities instead of giving presents to customers at Christmas. When selecting the recipients, it is important to the Marbach management to divide money between internationally renowned and regionally respected institutions. This year Marbach has donated 8,000 euros to Help - Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe e.V. and has also supported Offene Hilfen gGmbH Heilbronn with a donation of 2,000 euros. 

International Donation to Help - Creating a Future for People and the Environment
Plastic packaging is important to transport and store food safely and securely. It protects packaged goods from spoilage. However, it also pollutes the environment if it is not disposed of properly as recyclable material. The responsible handling of plastic is a vitally important topic in our time. 

For needy people in poor countries, environmental pollution is not a priority. Here people are concerned with existential issues. The aim of the Help project ‘Creating a future for people and the environment’, is to focus on plastic and its disposal and to link this to the creation of new jobs. Peter Marbach: "We work in the packaging industry and deal with this topic on a daily basis. Packaging is what we need; it is effective against food waste because it preserves food. The responsible use of plastics is of the utmost importance from our point of view which includes treating it as a recyclable material and disposing of it appropriately. This is where the Help project, which we support, comes in." 

The donation of 8,000 euros by Marbach will be used to raise awareness in schools and communities and create jobs. In cooperation with the locals, local partner organisations, authorities and communities of Indonesia, Iraq and Burkina Faso, various projects will be launched over the next three years. The focus here will be on reducing disposable plastic through information campaigns and setting up recycling companies and creating the associated jobs. The objective of the project is a future with better living conditions for people and the environment.

On 04.12.2019, Bianca Kaltschmitt, Deputy Managing Director at Help, accepted the donation cheque from Peter Marbach. She thanked Mr. Marbach for his generous support: "On behalf of Help and the people in our project countries I would like to thank you very much for the fourth consecutive Christmas donation and for the trust you have placed in our work. We are pleased to have Marbach as a committed partner for sustainability at our side."

Regional donation to the Open Helps: Inclusion band "The Colorful Caps”
This year's regional donation of 2,000 euros goes to support the project ‘The Colorful Caps (Die bunten Mützen) of Open Helps (Offene Hilfen) Heilbronn. The Colourful Caps are a music band in which people with and without disabilities play together. They rehearse well-known songs from the pop and hits scene and perform them together at events. The Colourful Caps had their biggest appearance so far at this year's National Garden Show in Heilbronn. Hartmut Seitz Bay, managing director of Open Helps Heilbronn: For people with a mental handicap it is an unbelievable success to experience standing on a stage to perform for others and to be celebrated for it. This experience greatly strengthens their self-confidence and self-esteem and supports positive personality development." With its donation Marbach supports this project and promotes the integration of people with disabilities in society. 

On 02.12.19 Hartmut Seitz-Bay, Managing Director of Open Helps (Offenen Hilfen) Heilbronn, and Carsten Hummel, Project Manager The Colorful Caps (Die bunten Mützen) accepted the donation cheque from Peter Marbach.

About the Open Helps gGmbH
The Open Helps was founded in 1992 in Heilbronn. They see themselves as partners for people with intellectual disabilities and their families in the city and district of Heilbronn. The Open Helps is organized as a limited non-profit company and is a member of the Diakonisches Werk Württemberg and a recognized FSJ and BFD office. 

About Help - Help for self-help e.V.
Help - Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe e.V., is a humanitarian aid organisation based in Bonn. Help was founded in 1981. The main focus of Help's work is worldwide emergency and disaster aid, but also long-term development aid and reconstruction projects.