Food collections, forest clean-ups and language cafes: this was Hero Month

917 hours, 145 volunteers, 26 events. October marked our first Hero Month in Berlin HQ, packed with opportunities for our Heroes to make an impact and dedicate some time to a cause they are passionate about.

At Delivery Hero we’re committed to making a positive mark on the world. In line with our broader Impact Strategy, our Hero Month activities focused on three pillars: giving back, environment, and diversity and inclusion.

From cleaning up litter to working at food banks, our heroes engaged with community projects across the city. Read on to find out more about some of the inspiring initiatives we supported in October.

Giving Back

Sorting rescued food at Berliner Tafel

Berliner Tafel reduces food waste by collecting leftover food from supermarkets or bakeries and giving it to people in need. All collected food is transported to a logistics center, where it is sorted and prepared for transport to the distribution points. Our Heroes went along for food collections, helped with sorting food at the logistics center, and handed out food to people in need at a distribution point, while learning more about the important work of Berliner Tafel.
Giving a smile and a meal to homeless people

Poverty is a real problem in Berlin, and thousands of people find themselves without a home in our city. Every day, around 600 homeless or very poor people come to “Bahnhofsmission Zoo,” a daytime shelter, where they receive a meal and can find some rest. Our volunteers supported the organization by offering meals, drinks and a listening ear to homeless people and people in need.

Environment

Forest Clean-Up with Coca-Cola

We partnered with Coca-Cola for a huge forest clean-up at Berlin’s Tegeler Forst. Almost 50 Heroes suited up with gloves and garbage bags, and spent the day picking up litter, collecting a total 348 kg of waste!
Cleaning up the Kindergarten

Kindergarten Rappelkiste is a kindergarten in Berlin that needed support with its garden. Volunteers worked together with the children to rake leaves, clear the flower beds and prepare their garden for winter. The team effort was a great way to educate the children and teach them about the environment.

Diversity & Inclusion

Language Café with Refugio

Refugio is a meeting place to people from all over the world. Some have fled wars while others are simply pursuing their art projects in Berlin. Refugio runs Language Cafés to help non-native speakers practice their English or German. The sessions are open to anyone who would like to meet new people and practice in a nice and relaxed atmosphere. The goal is also to support non-native speakers with their language exams, which are often a requirement for enrolling in education. Hero volunteers joined the Language Café and helped participants improve their language skills.
Reading with children

Our heroes became reading mentors for the day, as they read aloud to young children (0-6yrs) from families from difficult backgrounds. Many children don’t have access to books, but reading can stimulate and shape children’s vocabulary, curiosity, desire to discover, imagination and social skills. Accompanied by the parents, the reading mentors read aloud to the children and discovered the world of books together.

Be a Hero – Make a Difference

Our heroic volunteers had an overwhelmingly positive experience, with 95% stating they enjoyed their volunteering activity, and over 90% saying they would be happy to volunteer year-round.

Our Heroes described their volunteering activities as “fulfilling,” “eye-opening,” and “an amazing experience.” Employees also noted that it was great to meet fellow Heroes and bond with their team, learn more about the charities, and that their experiences really gave them a newfound appreciation of what they have.

While Hero month marked the start of our Employee Impact Program, we will run our volunteering activities throughout the year (with over 10 projects already set to continue long-term!). After a hugely successful kick-off, we can’t wait to continue to give our employees the chance to truly be Heroes.