The Finnish Red Cross Hunger Day receives Tokmanni’s support – “In this extremely challenging time, the importance of helping others is even more important,” says Mika Rautiainen, CEO of Tokmanni
Tokmanni Press release 23 September 2020 at 6:15 p.m.
Mika Rautiainen, CEO of Tokmanni, participated the Finnish Red Cross Hunger Day collection as a street fundraiser a year ago. The photo was taken on the first day of the Hunger Day collection in 2019 at Kansalaistori Square in Helsinki, where Tokmanni and the Finnish Red Cross constructed a bucket installation to symbolise the scarcity of clean water. Photo: Tokmanni
Care. Donate. Help. With these words, people are encouraged to donate to the Finnish Red Cross Hunger Day collection, which starts on Thursday 24th September. The Hunger Day collection raises uncommitted funds for the Finnish Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the organisation to use these funds at its discretion to quickly provide aid where it is needed most at any particular time. The coronavirus pandemic is also evident in the Hunger Day collection. Tokmanni encourages everyone to donate and now offers an opportunity to donate to the collection of their long-term partner easily and safely, for example in Tokmanni stores, even without cash.
The Hunger Day collection will be held for the 40th time this year. With the collected funds, the victims of food shortages are helped in southern Africa. These shortages have been accelerated by the corona crisis. In Finland, the funds are also needed for preparedness so that the Finnish Red Cross can help the most vulnerable people in these exceptional circumstances.
“In this extremely challenging time, the importance of helping others is even more important. Thanks to the Hunger Day collection, people in need can be helped both in Finland and abroad. So let’s all take part and help!” says Mika Rautiainen, CEO of Tokmanni.
Tokmanni helps the Hunger Day collection to succeed
This year, you can donate money to the Hunger Day collection organised by the Finnish Red Cross in all Tokmanni stores and through the online store, for example. From 21st September to 4th October 2020 it will also be possible for the first time to make a donation in Tokmanni stores even without cash. In the online store, anyone making a donation will be transferred to the Finnish Red Cross’s online donation options. The familiar Hunger Day collection boxes for cash donations can also be found in many Tokmanni stores.
The aim has been to make it as easy and safe as possible to make donations to the Hunger Day collection. At Tokmanni safety risks are minimised with, for example, protective screens installed at checkouts, signs reminding people of social distancing and hand hygiene, and enhanced cleaning.
In addition to offering ways to donate, Tokmanni will also be supporting the Finnish Red Cross by helping to advertise the Hunger Day collection on commercial radio channels, in social media, on the internet and in stores, for example.
“Tokmanni’s help is needed,” says Sirpa Solehmainen, Director, Fundraising at the Finnish Red Cross.
“Tokmanni’s partnership is incredibly important for the Finnish Red Cross. We really appreciate the fact that Tokmanni is offering a completely new way of donating money to the Hunger Day collection at the checkouts at all of its stores. This is especially important this year as coronavirus means that there are exceptional conditions for street fundraising and we need to offer more diverse options for making donations alongside the traditional ways of donating. It is also wonderful to see how enthusiastically everyone at Tokmanni is getting involved to make the 40-year-old Hunger Day collection possible.”
This year, money can be donated to the Finnish Red Cross Hunger Day collection in all Tokmanni stores even without cash. Photo: Tokmanni
Clear goal for partnership
Tokmanni and the Finnish Red Cross have been cooperating for about a year now. The aim of the cooperation, which is intended to last for a long term, is to promote the wellbeing of people and communities and to reduce loneliness and social exclusion.
In practice, Tokmanni has supported the Hunger Day collection and organisation’s Christmas cafes. In addition, Tokmanni has participated in work to combat the coronavirus epidemic by donating its products to the organisation and by offering assistance with logistics.
“We are already very satisfied with our cooperation with the Finnish Red Cross. Due to its reliability and broad field of operation, the organisation is a natural choice for Tokmanni. Through our cooperation many Tokmanni employees, from members of the Executive Group to store and warehouse personnel, have had the opportunity to participate in important responsibility work to reduce loneliness and social exclusion,” says Rautiainen.
The Finnish Red Cross also considers the cooperation to be valuable.
“The cooperation with Tokmanni has got off to a good start: the enthusiasm is mutual and we have a similar area of operation. The partnership has already been put to the test during the coronavirus pandemic and new ways of working together have been sought. Our joint goals have enabled us to find an agile method of operating and have only emphasised the importance of our partnership also during the exceptional circumstances. The cooperation has huge significance for us,” says Solehmainen.
Donations to the Hunger Day collection make it possible for trained volunteers to be available to offer help in Finland. Finnish Red Cross volunteer sorts food donations during pandemic. Photo: Marjaana Malkamäki / Finnish Red Cross
Hunger Day collection in brief:
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The Hunger Day collection is a fundraising campaign of the Finnish Red Cross, which is held every year in September and October. This year, the national street fundraising campaign will be held 24–26 September 2020. Donations and digital fundraising will be possible until the end of October.
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The Hunger Day collection raises funds for the Finnish Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. The Disaster Relief Fund enables the Finnish Red Cross to use these funds at its discretion to quickly provide aid where it is needed most at any particular time.
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The coronavirus pandemic, which is currently a global threat, is also evident in the Hunger Day collection. The funds raised in the Hunger Day collection will help people in southern Africa suffering from food shortages that have worsened due to the coronavirus pandemic. In Finland, funds need to be available so that the Finnish Red Cross can provide assistance to the most vulnerable people in society in these exceptional circumstances.
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This year, the Hunger day collection is being organised for the 40th time.
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Read more about the Hunger Day collection on the campaign pages www.nalkapaiva.fi/hungerday or on the pages providing information on the cooperation between Tokmanni and the Finnish Red Cross www.tokmanni.fi/spr (in Finnish).
TOKMANNI AND THE FINNISH RED CROSS
For further information, please contact:
Sirpa Solehmainen
Director, Fundraising
Finnish Red Cross
Tel. +358 50 567 6629
sirpa.solehmainen(at)punainenristi.fi
Emilia Koski
Head of Corporate Responsibility
Tokmanni
Tel. +358 40 132 6847
emilia.koski(at) tokmanni.fi
Maarit Mikkonen
Head of IR and Communications
Tokmanni
Tel. +358 40 562 2282
maarit.mikkonen(at)tokmanni.fi
The Finnish Red Cross is one of Finland’s largest NGOs. The aim of the Red Cross is to help people who are most in need of help, both at home and abroad.
The Red Cross provides aid after disasters and accidents and trains people to prepare for such crises. The Red Cross encourages people to take care of their own health and of one another. Defending humanity is one of the main goals of the Red Cross family.
Tokmanni is Finland’s leading general discount retailer. Some 3,700 Tokmanni employees make customers’ everyday life and special occasions easier by offering a versatile and up-to-date assortment of Finnish and international brand-name products and other high-quality products at prices that are always affordable. With nearly 200 stores around Finland and an online store, Tokmanni is always close to its customers. Tokmanni’s revenue in 2019 amounted to EUR 944.3 million. Tokmanni’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
