Berner Group helps: Donations for suffering civilians in Ukraine and sick children in Germany

The Berner Group is continuing its broad-based social commitment in 2023. The B2B wholesaler is now supporting the charity organisation Caritas international and the Cologne-based non-profit association "Wünsch Dir Was" with a total of 36,000 euros. The money is intended to help the needy in Ukraine on the one hand, and to grant a heart's desire to chronically or seriously ill children and young people throughout Germany on the other. A large part of the donation was collected directly by the employees of the family business.

The Berner Group has stood by Ukraine's side since the first day of the war. "Donations in cash and in kind worth more than half a million euros have been collected in the meantime to help on the ground," says CEO Christian Berner. Added to this is the personal commitment of the employees: "Many volunteer, lend a hand and help those who urgently need our help. That makes me incredibly proud.

Now the employees of the family-owned company wanted to set a sign of solidarity again, as the company boss reports in an internal letter: "A number of you approached the board and said: 'Please let us do something else for Ukraine, especially now in the hard winter'. That made me very happy, because our value be responsible becomes very visible here." Christian Berner therefore called for a group-wide collection campaign.

CEO tops up donation amount collected
In the past few weeks, the employees of the Berner Group transferred around 15,000 euros to the account set up by Caritas international especially for this purpose. Christian Berner increased the donation amount to 30,000 euros. "I am convinced that every euro helps Ukraine in this difficult phase", says the CEO. In order to be able to guarantee that the money is quickly forwarded to the right places, a conscious decision was made to go via one of the large charitable organisations.

Despite the brutal war and the daily danger to life, Caritas workers in Ukraine continue to help tirelessly. Their network spans the entire country. In 37 Caritas centres and 181 emergency shelters, they care for those affected by war and work to alleviate their suffering. The emergency aid has reached almost two million people so far. Currently and in the coming months, the focus is on winter relief.

Dr Oliver Müller, Head of Caritas international: "Donations like the one from the Berner Group help us in a very concrete way to enable those in need of help in Ukraine to live in dignity. Especially now in winter, when many Ukrainians are facing great problems, such support is particularly valuable for us."

Sweets make children's dreams come true
The Berner Group also donates 6,000 euros to "wünschdirwas e.V.". The Cologne-based non-profit association works together with doctors and therapists from more than 100 hospitals, children's clinics and hospices in order to provide chronically or seriously ill children and adolescents nationwide with a heart's desire - from a helicopter ride to a meeting with stars and starlets to feeding penguins. The amount could be donated through various initiatives of the controlling team at the company's holding headquarters in Cologne, for example by selling sweets, ice cream or drinks to colleagues at the Rheinauhafen site.

About the Berner Group
The Berner Group is a family-run European trading company. Our vision is: "We keep the world together and moving". This means that we are the central B2B trading partner for all materials in the field of maintenance, repair and production for our customers in the construction, mobility and industrial sectors. With over four channels, we create an integrated omnichannel shopping experience for our customers. In the field of steel and C-parts, as well as in the chemical sector, we are at the same time an innovative manufacturer. With over 200,000 articles and 8,000 employees, we are represented for our customers in over 20 countries.

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