Press the “right” button!

The fact that the International Day of Older Persons is celebrated on October 1 is quite symbolic. In essence, the autumn of life, like the autumn of the year, inevitably comes to everyone. But for some, it is a well-deserved rest, prosperity, and a calm, happy life surrounded by a caring, loving family. For others, it is poverty or even need, a bouquet of illnesses, and, what is no less frightening, a desperate feeling of being alone, forgotten, and unwanted. Unfortunately, such an "autumn of life" in Latvia is the fate of many: according to statistics, more than 40% of Latvian seniors are at risk of poverty! The Day of Older Persons serves as a reminder of how important it is for every elderly person to know and feel: old age does not mean loneliness!

This phrase “Old age ≠ loneliness” became the title of the humanitarian project of the Latvian Samaritan Association (LSA), which the well-known retail chain “Lidl Latvija” joined three years ago. And if three years ago the project had a zero budget, today donations have amounted to … over 100,000 euros!

At the same time, neither state nor private companies were involved in sponsorship. Simply put, “Lidl” became the first retailer to offer the opportunity to donate through bottle return machines. And any person, when returning bottles in the machine, could choose: whether to take the euro cents or even a couple of euros for their own needs, or to press the neighboring button, donating that money to a good cause. Many chose the latter. Thus, the impressive amount was formed, which later “Lidl Latvija” together with LSA directed for the benefit of lonely seniors in Latvia.

Thanks to the funds, a huge number of elderly people were provided with basic food products, necessary hygiene supplies, and medical aids. One lonely senior from Ogre was able not only to change the furniture that was already in a rather deplorable state but also to buy new clothes, shoes, bedding sets, and even re-lay the floor! And how many various necessary and useful items were bought and then given to lonely grandmas and grandpas — pillows, kettles, table lamps, night lights, not to mention sets of the same bedding and other things that seniors could hardly have purchased themselves from their pensions! Donations through “Lidl” bottle return machines were also used and continue to be used for organizing various events for seniors. Small but unforgettable excursions, friendly picnics, gatherings at beautifully and deliciously laid tables during Easter, Ligo, and other holidays, organizing concerts in social care centers in Riga, Valmiera, Kuldiga, Cesis, Jelgava, and, importantly, in the countryside — this is by no means a complete list of everything that became possible thanks to the combined efforts of the retail chain “Lidl Latvija,” the Latvian Samaritan Association, and kind people from all over Latvia! People who, with one press of the “right” button, shared an amount that might not be too burdensome for their budget but was so important for Latvia's lonely, less fortunate seniors!

According to the head of the corporate social responsibility department of “Lidl Latvija,” Antra Birzule, over three years, more than 1 million units of deposit containers were donated, from which the very sum of donations exceeding 100,000 euros was collected. The most funds were raised in Riga: the capital's residents donated over 55,000 euros for the needs of elderly people. Among the residents of Riga, the “record holder” in this sense was the “Lidl” store on Brivibas Gatve, 254: it was there that the largest amount of donations was collected. However, residents of other cities were also not indifferent to the call to help lonely seniors: in Liepaja, for example, the amount of donations over three years was almost 6,800 euros, in Ogre - over 5,600 euros, in Jelgava - over 5,100 euros, in Valmiera over 4,100 euros, in Ventspils - 4,000 euros, in Jurmala - over 3,600 euros. Residents of Cesis, Kuldiga, and Bauska also actively participated in the charitable campaign. And all donated funds were directed to lonely elderly people specifically in the region where the donation was made:

- For example, the donated funds in Liepaja are used to support residents of Kurzeme, providing assistance to those who need it most at the local level. This way, we can take care of those who live further from the capital but also need support,” explained the director of the communications department of “Lidl Latvija,” Dana Hasana.

...The fate of any successful project is to develop and expand. And the charitable project “Old age ≠ loneliness” is no exception in this regard. Moreover, this year “Lidl” opened four new stores – two in Riga and one each in Kuldiga and Bauska; this gives reason to believe that the total amount of donations will only grow. In turn, the head of the Latvian Samaritan Association, Andris Berzinsh, along with words of gratitude to everyone who supported the project, urges Latvians to continue showing generosity, especially since it does not require special efforts: “We urge you to remember those elderly people who are lonely and live in poverty. Pressing the “Donate” button in the “Lidl” bottle return machine is one of the shortest paths to a smile and joy on the face of a lonely elderly person. For them, it is an opportunity to leave their home and meet like-minded people, drink tea with sugar, sleep on fresh sheets, turn on a night light, and do many other things that would be impossible without the participation of kind people...”

… A “deposit” tin can from cola or a plastic bottle from soda is practically nothing for the wallets of most active age people. However, it is precisely from many thousands of units of donated deposit containers that, with the help of the retail chain “Lidl Latvija,” this all accumulates into large sums. And later these sums turn into not just beautiful and useful gifts; they are a symbol that every person is important in society. Regardless of age and financial well-being…