Did you know that we have the 'Charity Days' at Jaarbeurs ? Here you can dedicate half a working day to a social initiative. A day outside your own work, at an organisation that is committed to others. Yente and Andrea from Guest Events department, participated in this. After helping at the Salvation Army last year, this time they chose the Food Bank. "You step out of your own work for a moment and see up close what it's like," says Yente.
Participating in the process
Both Yente and Andrea had never been to the Food Bank before. They reported for a morning shift and were welcomed by a regular volunteer. There, they saw on the spot how they could help. Yente: "We were assigned to the distribution point, where the surpluses from the supermarkets came in in the morning." Together with other volunteers, they sorted the 'dry' products and put together food packages. Family packs for four people filled with long-life products. "The fresh food is added later at the distribution points," Andrea explains. "You can see how much organisation is behind that. All those locations have to be supplied."
The people behind the Food Bank
What particularly stuck with them were the conversations with the volunteers. "The woman who hosted us had held a senior position at a bank for many years, says Andrea. "After leaving there, she started volunteering here. She was keen to continue making herself useful." And other stories also made an impression. "One elderly man told me that otherwise he is alone all week," says Yente. "For him, those few hours of volunteering are a regular social moment. You hear stories from people you don't immediately expect here."
Seeing how it works
Yente and Andrea worked behind the scenes at an industrial estate where food is sorted and distributed. This opened their eyes: "You see how much food comes in every day," says Yente. "Sometimes it's products that you think are still fine. But some products require samples to be taken by the Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. Then that pallet has to be re-sorted, repacked and checked. That costs a lot of money for a food producer. For them, it is therefore sometimes more advantageous to donate a complete pallet to the Food Bank. That really surprised me."
Taking a break from your daily work
They find it valuable that Jaarbeurs makes it possible to carry out volunteer work during working hours. Yente: "Once in a while you have to get off the moving train and work hard for someone else. I work full-time, I don't get around to volunteering in combination with home and busy schedules. You want to, but full schedules make it impossible. But now you can put it in your diary and make the space for it. Because it is part of your working week, it is easier to do it."
Showing social involvement
Jaarbeurs consciously chooses good causes in and around Utrecht. Andrea thinks this is logical: "It also has to do with social involvement. And you notice that people appreciate it that an organisation is actively committed to this." Actually, all large employers should do this, she thinks: "My son, for instance, has to do a social internship for his education. But why only young people, during school? Let adults just do that during working hours too!"
Just do it
Both ladies look back on their morning at the Food Bank with a good feeling. Next year, they will join a Charity Day again. To colleagues who don't yet do it, or are hesitant to participate, they say: "Do it if you can! It's about doing something for someone else and you get your feet back on the ground for a while. It's nice to have the chance to contribute to society."
