Fazer continues its cooperation with SOS Children’s Villages to support families who need help in their everyday life
The long-term cooperation between Fazer and SOS Children’s Villages continues as the parties signed a three-year continuation of their cooperation agreement on World Children’s Day. Starting in 2022, Fazer will be the main cooperation partner of SOS Children’s Villages’ Mummun ja vaarin tupa (Grandma’s and grandpa’s place) project. The project connects families with children with elderly citizens around a common dinner table with the purpose of promoting preventive actions in support of well-being.
Fazer continues its cooperation, which spans over 50 years, with SOS Children’s Villages in Finland and Russia. In Finland, the target of the new agreement term is the Mummun ja vaarin tupa (Grandma and grandpa's place) project. It combines food experiences, integral to Fazer’s mission, with the societal work of SOS Children’s Villages. Volunteers in the project also include some pensioners who have retired from Fazer. In previous agreement terms, financial aid has been allocated to developing SOS Children’s Villages’ family rehabilitation and building Children’s Villages in Vuores in Tampere, Niittykumpu in Espoo, and Kivistö in Vantaa. In Russia, the support is allocated at the operations of SOS Children’s Villages in St Petersburg.
“One of Fazer’s values is True Relationships. We are part of a community that strives towards a common goal, and our sustainability work is a great example of this. Cooking and eating together are key factors in creating the positive effects of food, and through this cooperation, we will impact the well-being of our immediate surroundings in a very concrete manner,” says Joséphine Mickwitz, Head of Communications and Sustainability at Fazer.
”Fazer holds a special place in the hearts of people at the SOS Children’s Villages. We are happy that the support from Fazer enables us to expand our preventive work in support of children and families in need. Food is one of the founding building blocks in the life of children and young people, and common meals have far-reaching impacts on the children’s lives. Food plays a significant role as an instrument for care in the SOS Children’s Villages. The warm-hearted encounters between different generations that take place when working and eating together at Mummun ja vaarin tupa offer possibilities for peer support and interaction.” explains Leena Poutanen, responsible for communications and fund-raising at SOS Children’s Villages.
Mummun ja vaarin tupa
Mummun ja vaarin tupa is a weekly voluntary get-together, based on affinity and joy. It includes cooking together as well as spending time playing and engaging in different activities with children and families. The activities are aimed especially at families with children who need support in their everyday life but have weak supporting networks of their own. The Mummun ja vaarin tupa project currently operates in Espoo, Vantaa, Kaarina and Kuopio. The project enables encounters between people of different ages: food is cooked and enjoyed together around the same table. Volunteer step-grandmothers and step-grandfathers are important because not all families have grandparents supporting their daily life or they live far away. For parents, the weekly get-together provides a breather.
Helena Hietapakka, who volunteers as a step-grandmother, began volunteering at SOS Children’s Villages’ Mummun ja vaarin tupa in Vantaa once she retired from Fazer. “At Mummun ja vaarin tupa, parents can enjoy a meal cooked for them once a week. At the same time, they meet each other and us grandparents. We have had very deep conversations. I always have a welcoming hug for every child. I want to be present and listen to both the children and their parents. The meetings are always lovely moments for me, too,” says Helena.
Further information:
https://www.fazergroup.com/well-being/responsibility--trust/sos-childrens-villages/
https://www.fazer.fi/reseptit-ja-ideat/minun-elamani/rakas-joulumuisto/
https://www.sos-lapsikyla.fi/lahella/
Liisa Eerola, Vice President, Communications at Fazer Finland, tel. +358 (0)44 710 8860
SOS Children’s Villages
SOS Children’s Villages is an international child welfare organisation promoting the rights of the child. Our goal is that every child and young person would have the support they need to grow into their full potential. We are a no-profit child welfare expert and service provider. We provide help and high-quality services for municipalities and families.
Fazer Group
Fazer, The Food Experience Company, enables people to enjoy the best moments of their day. In 1891, the young Karl Fazer opened his first café with a mission to make food with a purpose – and a passion to create moments of joy for all the people around him. Shaping the next tastes, traditions and food experiences, Fazer’s vision is Towards Perfect Days. Fazer wants people to experience the Northern Magic it creates and builds on its strong heritage, consumer first approach and innovations to create the sustainable food solutions of the future. The Group focuses on fast-moving consumer goods, operates in eight countries and exports to around 40 countries. In 2020, Fazer Group had net sales of 1.1 billion euros and almost 8,500 employees. Fazer’s operations comply with ethical principles that are based on the Group’s values and the UN Global Compact.
Northern Magic. Made Real.
