Christmas is a time of beautifully decorated tables and special treats: gingerbread, cookies and other goodies mean many people try to shed a few pounds in January. But that’s not the case for everyone. According to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, around 8.7 percent of the population were affected by income poverty in Switzerland in 2019. That equates to around 735, 000 people.

Invisible poverty

There’s poverty in Switzerland, even if it’s not always obvious. The worst affected groups include people who live alone, single parents and people who have not undertaken post-compulsory education or who’re unemployed. People affected by poverty often don’t have the opportunity to enjoy much of a social life. Things like going to the cinema and trips are out of reach.

Relieving the strain on the budget

The essentials help most. Even in Switzerland, there are many people who don’t have access to essentials. They often find themselves lacking even the most basic things, and the best gifts are those that meet their day-to-day needs. Personal hygiene products such as toothpaste in particular, and even food, are a big financial strain for people living in poverty. The “2 x Christmas”Target not accessible campaign is all about relieving the financial strain on these people, and making their day-to-day lives a bit easier. Donating essential items means people have a bit more left over to enjoy a social life. Children can go on school trips again and elderly people in poverty can afford a small gift for their grandchildren.

Posting donation parcels free of charge

Swiss Post – together with the Swiss Red Cross (SRC)Target not accessible, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRG SSR)Target not accessible and CoopTarget not accessible – has been collecting long-lasting food and personal hygiene items for 25 years to help alleviate the worries people face. Donation parcels can be posted free of charge at any Swiss Post branch as well as at branches with partners from 24 December 2021 to 11 January 2022. Swiss Post then transports the parcels free of charge to the SRC’s warehouse as a logistics partner.

If you don’t have the time or opportunity to visit a branch, you can simply have your parcel picked up from your home free of charge with pick@home. A personal collection time can be arranged online at swisspost.ch/2xchristmas.

What can I put in the parcel?

Please only put long-lasting food or personal hygiene items in your parcel, for example:

• Cosmetics like body lotion, deodorant, facial care products and so on
• Oral hygiene products such as toothpaste, toothbrushes and dental floss
• Baby food (e.g. follow-on milk)
• Food essentials with a long shelf life such as tea, sugar, oil, rice and flour

The best before date of the products should be at least the end of June 2022. More information can be found at 2 x ChristmasTarget not accessible.

Send an online parcel as an alternative

Instead of putting together your own parcel, you can also donate an online parcel at 2 x ChristmasTarget not accessible. You select a gift or amount that you’d like to donate. The online donations will help people living in poverty in Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kyrgyzstan and Moldova get through the tough winter months.

Last year saw the donation of 62,800 physical parcels and 4,300 online parcels with a total value of 537,900 francs.