Support for Children in Denmark

German discounter Lidl has announced that it has entered into national partnership agreement with Blue Cross in Denmark to donate surplus food to those in need.

Through this initiative, surplus food from around 25 Lidl stores in the country will end up in hostels, institutions, and support services run by Blue Cross for the lonely and homeless, as well as those affected by mental illnesses and addiction.

Chief commercial officer of Lidl Denmark, Mikko Forsström, said that the partnership was fully in line with Lidl's CSR strategy.

“It is important for us to contribute to improving societal and environmental challenges. Therefore, we are very pleased to help both socially vulnerable Danes and reduce the food waste in our stores, thus helping to create a more sustainable future,”Forsström added.

The partnership will benefit around 130,000 people, each year, in Blue Cross's hostels, in addition to children from Children's Blue House. The initiative will also prove beneficial for Blue Cross's Family Network, which supports around 550 families struggling with poverty, abuse, illness, violence or other problems.

Especially for the children who regularly visit the activities it is a great enrichment. This allows them to try out new dishes that are normally less available and thus develop a joy for the unknown. This is just one way the children can cope with difficult family circumstances.

With your donation you help that the children are not only provided with good food, but also that their psychological and social problems can be treated professionally and with love. Thank you very much!

On average, there are two children in each class who grow up in families with alcohol abuse. Their childhood is marked by lies and secrets, because the children are often the only witnesses of their parents' substance abuse. They cannot tell anyone. And nobody asks them what is really going on at home. Alcohol problems are hard to see and when they are recognized, it is very difficult to talk about them. The children love their parents. You don't want to talk badly about someone you love. 

Children who grow up in parental homes that are marked by alcohol and violence often see no other way out in adulthood to deal with the psychological pain than to grab a bottle themselves. This can only be combated if someone sees them. Someone must show them another way. Many children of alcoholics, now adults, testify that only through external help a possible alternative becomes visible.

The project of the Blue Cross in Denmark has this goal: To see the children and their world full of lies and secrets. To encourage them to talk about their problems, to play in a child-friendly environment, to live, to be seen. The more children know about the negative effects of alcohol, the more they understand their life at home. They realize what family should be and what it should not be.

With your donation you help the two children who may go to school with your own child. Of whom nobody knows what is going on at home. Help the children to have someone with whom they can share their secrets and thus build a better future.