As dark as these times may seem to many people, thousands of SZ readers are sending a shining signal for solidarity. Despite the pandemic and war of aggression against Ukraine, despite inflation and the energy crisis, the 73rd aid campaign of the “Advent calendar for good works of the Süddeutsche Zeitung” more than 10.8 million euros in total, a good three million euros more than in the previous year. In addition to inheritances, the appeals for donations launched in the spring in addition to the traditional Advent campaign made a significant contribution to the record result. They alone brought in almost two million euros for people who died before the fleeing the war in Ukraine.
The war, says Anita Niedermeier, managing director of the Advent calendar, changed everyone’s life: “Heating and food costs are rising rapidly, and many refugees have to be taken in and cared for.” More and more people are looking for financial help in Munich’s social centers and at the advice centers of the welfare organizations, “they need help buying groceries and other purchases”. Thanks to the generous donations from readers, the advent calendar was able to help both people and supply facilities, such as the food banks, quickly and unbureaucratically. Süddeutsche Verlag bears all the costs of the campaign.
Trust and community spirit are impressive, says Anita Niedermeier. “As a pensioner, I get the 300 euro energy allowance in December. I feel like almost everyone in my environment,” wrote an SZ reader. “I don’t really need this money, it should better go to people who urgently need support in this situation.” And she wondered what it would be like if people “who, like me, don’t necessarily need this money, donate it to the advent calendar, which can use it to support people in need?” Instead of complaining about the “watering can” principle, one could become active in favor of a more sensible distribution.
A “great idea”, according to Anita Niedermeier, which other readers also want to join. With the donations, “we can give the desperate people the feeling that they are not alone – that there is someone who is thinking of them.” How gratefully this is accepted is evident from the – mostly handwritten – letters of thanks.
“Excuse my handwriting, my hand has been a bit paralyzed for a few years,” wrote a man whose advent calendar covered the cost of veterinary treatment for his young cat, disposed of by the original owners. “You don’t know what a joy you have brought me, emotionally and financially. For me, my cat is everything. If I didn’t have the little one, I wouldn’t be here anymore.”
A man who couldn’t afford glasses from his income warmly thanked him for covering the costs: “You can’t imagine how happy I was about it.” On the day he got the message, he came home from work with severe eye pain and a headache. When he saw the letter, “My hands started shaking. At first I couldn’t believe my glasses were fully approved. Thank you so much.” One man was very surprised, “because I’ve never received a donation in 75 years. That helped me a lot with my pension – 500 euros – and did me good. Thank you very much.”
The roughly 3,000 food parcels and more than 1,000 food bags were also well received by the mostly older recipients. An old woman thanked her heartily: “I was so happy because I could never have afforded that with my small pension – such great high-quality products. It’s nice that there are people who do something good for others, for them it’s not going so well.”
Our donation account:
Advent calendar for good works from the Süddeutsche Zeitung eV Stadtsparkasse Munich, IBAN DE 86 7015 0000 0000 6007 00, BIC SSKMDEMMXXX. Donations to the SZ Advent calendar are tax deductible. For transfers of more than 300 euros, we will send you a donation receipt. www.sz-adventskalender.de