Our commitment
2 x Christmas: 300 tonnes of happiness
The 2 x Christmas campaign accepts food and personal hygiene items as donations. Around 300 tonnes of soap, nappies, tea, coffee, flour, rice and other basic necessities were collected during the last campaign. The heavy parcels lighten the load for many people. This is where the help comes in. Here’s an insight into a distribution campaign.
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2 x Christmas is a joint campaign from the Swiss Red Cross (SRC), the media company SRG, the retailer Coop and Swiss Post. The campaign runs every year after Christmas. Each organization contributes their specific know-how. The SRC works with charitable organizations and coordinates the distribution of parcels to senior citizens’ homes, women’s shelters, asylum organizations, church congregations and more. Swiss Post sends the donated parcels postage-free. A total of 39,300 parcels were donated during the last campaign.
The parcels are not directly redistributed. The contents are delivered based on prior orders. In the canton of Zurich alone, 58 institutions benefit from the support of 2 x Christmas.
Efficient help that reaches those who need it
23 kilograms of pasta, 4 kilograms of rice and 9 kilograms of canned food. What reads like the shopping list of a restaurant is in fact the order from the local help group Nachbarschaftshilfe Kreis 9 in Zurich-Altstetten. For Rolf Eisenegger (the association’s President) and Claudia Sandmayr (mediator), a private car is sufficient. “Others order up to several tonnes. For that you need a truck,” explains Susanne Bührer, Head of the Central Secretariat at the SRC in the canton of Zurich. 60 tonnes of goods on 140 pallets are waiting to be collected in the hall.
When heavy parcels lighten the load: Claudia Sandmayr, mediator, and Rolf Eisenegger, President of the Nachbarschaftshilfe Kreis 9 organization. (Copyright: Tom Huber)
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Long-life food and personal hygiene products instead of toys
The campaign is being run for the 26th time this year. Barbara Schmid-Federer, President of the Swiss Red Cross, has been involved for a full 12 years. How has the campaign changed over time? “We have always been able to increase the quantities a little over the years. It’s impressive to see the results here. In the past, we were still given toys. The intentions are good, but long-life food and personal hygiene items are more urgent. Access to essentials is the main thing.”
A lot of voluntary work
It takes many helping hands to distribute 300 tonnes of goods. 2 x Christmas would not be possible without volunteers like Fritz Schellenbaum. Fritz came to the distribution event with his wife. They both take part every year because “it’s simply a good thing to do”. Linda Fäh is also helping out on this day. The pop singer and presenter is an SRC ambassador and will be there again, as she was last year.
One of many: it wouldn’t work without volunteers like Fritz Schellenbaum. (Copyright: Tom Huber)
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Happy about the food items
The last load is being prepared on the ramp as Seraina Trachsel and Pamela Wälti from Schlupfhuus Zurich drive up to collect it. The Schlupfhuus offers help for young people in need. This includes 11 places for young people who cannot live at home for various reasons. Seraina Trachsel is responsible for the catering. She has been the cook at the institution for three years and comes here every year: “We’re always very happy about the donated food. As a cook, I then see what I can make from it.”
Seraina Trachsel (left) and Pamela Wälti (right) from Schlupfhuus Zurich. Heading back with a full load. (Copyright: Tom Huber)
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2 x Christmas is more than just a few happy days after Christmas. We pack in happiness together in the winter. And we give joy all year round. It’s a small contribution to ensure a little less worry. The campaign provides efficient help where it is needed – like the Schlupfhuus, the local help group and countless other institutions throughout the country that rely on the support of 2 x Christmas.
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2 x Christmas: how to join the campaign
We’ll be packing in happiness again this year from 24 December to 11 January. We collect parcels containing personal hygiene items such as body lotion, deodorant, toothbrushes, dental floss as well as baby food and long-life foodstuffs (tea, sugar, oil, rice, flour).
As the logistics partner, Swiss Post takes care of the shipping. Parcels can be sent postage-free at any branch or branch with partner. If you can’t make it to a branch, you can have the parcel collected from your home free of charge with pick@home. To do so, you must arrange a personal collection time online at swisspost.ch/2xchristmas.
Alternatively, you can also donate an online parcel at 2xchristmas.chTarget not accessible. Online parcels are sent to people living in poverty in Armenia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Kyrgyzstan and Moldova. The products are purchased locally.
Swiss Post is an official partner of the SRC
Poverty doesn’t only affect people in Switzerland during the Christmas season. Swiss Post therefore supports the Swiss Red Cross as an official partner throughout the year in its work to jointly reduce poverty in Switzerland.