Section SOCIETY
TOPIC

HELLENiQ ENERGY
Immediate support to the flood victims of Thessaly with the offer of emergency items in cooperation with the Hellenic Red Cross

In this difficult situation in which a large part of our country has found itself, HELLENiQ ENERGY and its subsidiary EKO, stood from the very first moment at the side of the flood victims of Thessaly for the immediate relief of the residents of Thessaly who were affected by the disasters caused by storm “Daniel”. In the first phase, the offer was aimed at covering the needs for essentials of our fellow citizens affected by the floods as well as to help in their moral recovery so that they can stand on their feet and not abandon their land.
  • Flood victims of Thessaly (Prefectures of Magnesia, Larissa, Trikala, Karditsa) and local government
  • General public 
  • 13-15 September 2023 (finding, ordering and delivering emergency items to the central warehouses of the Hellenic Red Cross).
  • 20-21 September 2023 (dispatch of emergency items to regional departments and self-operated service stations and distribution to flood victims).

From the very first days, the Group, in cooperation with the Hellenic Red Cross, was present, offering emergency supplies for the flood victims of Thessaly. The items pertained to the following categories:

  • food,
  • cleaning supplies and
  • personal hygiene items.

These items were supplied by HELLENiQ ENERGY, from its suppliers as well as large supermarket chains. In just 3 days, the Group managed to purchase almost 41,000 packages of food, cleaning products and personal hygiene items. The immediate supply was the first achievement and the next goal was to get the items into the hands of people in immediate need.

The above packages of food, cleaning products and personal hygiene items were collected at the central warehouses of the Hellenic Red Cross, from where they were loaded into the organization’s trucks and distribution began. The distribution was structured as follows:

  • The food was stored in the Group’s self-operated fuel stations, EKO and bp, in Volos, Agria, Larissa, Trikala and Elassona.
  • The cleaning products and personal hygiene items were stored at the Regional Departments of the Hellenic Red Cross in Magnesia, Larissa, Trikala and Elassona.

On the same day and/or the next day after the delivery of the emergency items to the fuel stations and regional departments, the distribution of the items to the affected people began. Volunteers of the Hellenic Red Cross from the Regional Departments in Magnesia, Larissa, Elassona and Trikala, using smaller vehicles, received the items and distributed them to the homes of Thessalian residents affected by the disasters, or delivered them by setting up outdoor distribution stations while informing residents to come and receive the emergency items.

Please see the relevant video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mUyf7Iwim0

The cooperation with the Hellenic Red Cross was close and excellent. From the very first moment, the Hellenic Red Cross supported HELLENiQ ENERGY’s initiative by generously offering its facilities, equipment and volunteers. It immediately activated its Regional Departments in Magnesia, Elassona, Larissa, Trikala and its volunteers to assist in the distribution of emergency items to the flood victims.

The Regional Departments, apart from the management of the emergency items they received at their headquarters, also managed the storage of the food at the Group’s self-operated fuel stations, EKO and bp, in Volos, Agria, Larissa, Elassona and Trikala. The volunteers cooperated perfectly with the employees of the fuel stations at the arrival of the Hellenic Red Cross trucks at the stations, where they all together took the emergency items to the storage area of the station and on the same day or the next day the volunteers, using small vehicles, collected quantities of food and distributed them to the people affected by the disastrous floods. The above actions took place in just 2 days.

The participation of the Group’s employees was crucial. The employees who participated in this important project responded promptly and effectively, understanding their role in an organization with a sense of responsibility towards Society and the State, in view of the difficult situation that a large part of the country was in following the disastrous floods. The process of finding the emergency items (food, cleaning products, personal hygiene items) from suppliers and then ordering them was quite arduous and was completed in just 3 days. All communication had to be done efficiently within strict time-frames in order to ship the items promptly and help relieve the people affected by the floods. Also, the actions of the workers at the self-operated fuel stations were coordinated with one purpose: to take the food as soon as possible to the people who needed it.

The offer of emergency items to the flood victims took place in Thessaly and specifically in the prefectures of Magnesia, Larissa, Trikala and Karditsa, which were affected on September 8, 2023, by the disasters caused by the storm “Daniel”.

A total of 80 pallets with 41,000 packages of emergency items were delivered, of which:

  • 53% were food products,
  • 18% were cleaning products,
  • 29% were personal hygiene items,

and benefited around 10,000 flood victims.

Participants:

  • 4 Regional Departments of the Hellenic Red Cross in Magnesia, Larissa, Elassona, Trikala,
  • 5 self-operated fuel stations in Volos, Agria, Larissa, Elassona and Trikala,
  • 33 volunteers of the Hellenic Red Cross,
  • 5 operators of EKO SA self-operated service stations.

The action of offering emergency relief items to the flood victims of Thessaly has no measurable quantitative benefits for HELLENiQ ENERGY. However, it falls within the framework of one of its overriding objectives and is fully in line with its philosophy of standing next to Society and the State at emergency moments for the country. HELLENiQ ENERGY has undertaken similar moves to support society in the recent past. Both during the health crisis “COVID-19”, for the shielding of the NHS and the purchase of critical medical equipment, and during the major fires in 2021 and 2023 with the implementation of major anti-corrosion projects, while its assistance was immediate after the unprecedented flooding in Mandra in 2017 and the devastating fire in Mati, Attica in 2018.

This direct assistance to the people affected by the devastating floods not only contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, but also increases the Group’s positive footprint in society, which is fully in line with HELLENiQ ENERGY’s Corporate Responsibility strategy.

For this reason, the Group, apart from the direct support with essentials to the affected areas of Thessaly, continues with additional actions. On October 11, 2023, HELLENiQ ENERGY announced in a press release the decision of its Board of Directors regarding the implementation of a €10 million action program, which will contribute to the recovery of economic and social activity in Thessaly. The program will include projects relating to general-use infrastructure to speed up the reconstruction of the regions, as well as actions to support vulnerable social groups in view of the winter season. In a statement, HELLENiQ ENERGY’s CEO, Mr. Andreas Shiamishis, pointed out: “As a company, HELLENiQ ENERGY has been standing by society for years. It is a given that in such critical moments, cooperation is required from everyone. In the difficult situations that Thessaly is experiencing, the help we will offer through various actions of direct support and restoration of infrastructure will contribute to the solution of the problem.”