While fire brigade festivals and collection campaigns had to be cancelled in the past two years due to the pandemic, thus eliminating important sources of income for the volunteer lifesavers, emergency situations requiring the professional help of fire brigade members have not taken a break.
As a sign of gratitude and to draw attention to the social importance of volunteering as well as the personal risks involved, BILLA launched a nationwide fundraising campaign last week, the entire net proceeds of which will benefit the Austrian fire service. A total of 20,000 euros was collected with the support of BILLA. On Florianitag, the entire donation amount will be handed over to the Austrian Federal Fire Brigade Association for the ÖBFV rapid response fund.
From Monday, 25 April to Saturday, 30 April, the confectioners at all BILLA PLUS stores throughout the country were busy baking and collecting. Specially created Sacher cubes were made by the confectioners and decorated with the fire brigade's corps badge. For 2.99 euros, customers could not only enjoy the finest desserts, but also make a valuable contribution to the total donation.
Harald Mießner, BILLA CEO: "The fire brigades all over Austria do great work every day. That's why we are very proud that we have collected 20,000 euros in one week together with our customers and can thus give something back to the fire brigade associations as a sign of thanks for their tireless efforts."
"So many BILLA customers have supported us enormously by buying the Sacher chocolate cubes. We are very grateful for this. The entire campaign shows once again how deeply rooted the fire brigades are in Austria and reflects the strong cohesion and willingness to help throughout Austria," emphasises Albert Kern, President of the Austrian Federal Fire Brigade Association.
