„Parcel with a smile“ from Żabka for St. Nicholas Day for patients of Poznań children’s hospitals

„Parcel with a smile“ from Żabka for St. Nicholas Day for patients of Poznań children’s hospitals

A child’s smile? Priceless! To bring it to life on the faces of the young patients of two Poznań hospitals, Żabka, in cooperation with the International Police Association IPA, gave them presents on the occasion of St. Nicholas‘ Day. The company’s employees and police officers jointly prepared 600 parcels. The roles of Santa Claus and his elves were played by officers of the Intervention Desk of the Police Staff Department of the Municipal Police Headquarters in Poznań and on December 6 they visited patients of the Greater Poland Children’s Health Centre on Wrzoska Street and the Karol Jonscher Clinical Hospital of the Karol Marcinkowski Medical University on Szpitalna Street in Poznań.

This is the third edition of the joint St. Nicholas‘ Day action. The initiative, aimed at young patients of Poznań hospitals, brings joy not only to the kids but also a lot of smiles to their parents and medical staff.

– We care about the well-being of the youngest who are in hospitals during St. Nicholas‘ Day and do not always have the opportunity to receive presents. That is why once again this year dozens of volunteers from Żabka, together with the International Police Association IPA and officers from the Intervention Unit of the Police Staff Department of the Municipal Police Headquarters in Poznań, organized an action in which as many as 600 parcels were given to children from Poznań hospitals. Such gestures help children forget about their troubles for a while, and for us, it is a great joy to be able to help in this way – says Katarzyna Przewęzikowska, Manager of the External Relations and CSR Team at Żabka Polska.

The Santa Claus action started at 9:00 a.m. Police officers from the Poznań Intervention Unit first visited the youngest patients of the Karol Jonscher Clinical Hospital of the Poznań Medical University and then visited children hospitalized at the Greater Poland Children’s Health Centre. The arrival of the police carriage of Santa Claus and his Elves began with a display of unmarked police cars. Afterward, a police officer dressed as Santa Claus, assisted by uniformed officers, made his way to the wards to present the children with gifts specially prepared for the occasion.

– The happiness and joy on children’s faces is the greatest satisfaction of the undertaken initiatives, including those on the occasion of St. Nicholas‘ Day. Once again, members of the International Police Officers‘ Association in cooperation with Żabka actively joined the campaign – adds Hanna Wachowiak, a member of IPA Poznań

– This day is special for us too. It is when we put aside our daily duties and the police officers of the Enforcement Group do not chase after criminals but, through our actions, bring smiles to the faces of children from Poznań hospitals. We have been doing this invariably for several years, and in this form, we have been operating for three. It is almost a tradition for us. We know that the little ones are waiting for our arrival, presents, and photos with Santa. We could not let them down this year either. Although we know that not all the children will be able to go home for Christmas, we left them with lots of good energy and wishes for a speedy recovery, believing that their dreams will come true. We are happy that we can make them happy – emphasizes Sub-Comm. Marta Mróz, Press Officer of the Municipal Police Headquarters in Poznań.

The Santa parcels were prepared as part of employee volunteering. For three days, at the Żabka Group Headquarters, both the company’s employees and police officers packed 600 gifts for the charges of Poznan hospitals. A real ‚Santa’s Village‘ was created in the lobby of the office building.