At ORLEN Deutschland, they know just how to give children that special sparkle in their eyes at Christmas: the staff, partners, and customers at all star and ORLEN petrol stations have been working hard on the ‘Christmas in a Shoebox’ campaign for three years running now. This year for the first time, also a joint collection with the German handball Bundesliga record champion THW Kiel was launched. The Christmas presents will sure bring joy to children in need. A total of more than 2,500 shoeboxes were collected at 65 star and ORLEN petrol stations as well as at the THW Kiel’s home match against SC DhfK Leipzig.
Every year, several million shoeboxes filled with gifts are collected worldwide for children in need as part of the 'Christmas in a Shoebox' campaign. The little treasure troves are sent to more than 100 countries around the world and contain toys, school supplies, clothing, and hygiene products. As the 2019 campaign was met with great interest from star and ORLEN petrol station partners and their customers, a considerable number of packages were collected again both in 2020 and this year: from Bremen to Bischofswerda, a total of 65 petrol station partners took part. They acted as collection points for the more than 2,500 shoeboxes from staff members, partners, and customers – a greater number than ever before.
'We are so grateful to have partners like the star and ORLEN petrol stations whose hearts and stations are always open — even in times like these. The shoebox gifts and the love and hope for the children that go with them are more important than ever in these times,' says Rainer Saga, Director of the 'Christmas in a Shoebox' campaign. In addition to providing collection points at star and ORLEN petrol stations, this year marked the first cooperation on the initiative with the Handball Bundesliga team THW Kiel, whose main sponsor is ORLEN Deutschland. Patrick Wiencek, pivot player with the THW Kiel and sponsored by ORLEN Deutschland, called on his Instagram followers to take part in the initiative. Packed shoeboxes could either be handed in at the THW Kiel FANWELT or at the home match against SC DhfK Leipzig. The collected shoeboxes will be forwarded by the organisation in the coming days and distributed during the Christmas season to needy children in eastern European countries such as Rumania, Bulgaria, or Belarus.
Image (l.t.r.): „Maschine“ (arena announcer THW Kiel), Mareike Noll (Regional Manager North West at 'Christmas in a Shoebox') and Hein Daddel (mascot THW Kiel).
star and ORLEN - the petrol stations of ORLEN Deutschland GmbH
ORLEN Deutschland GmbH was founded in March 2003. It is a 100% subsidiary of the Polish multi-energy corporation PKN ORLEN S.A. and part of the international ORLEN Group. The company currently operates almost 600 star and ORLEN petrol stations on the German market. ORLEN Deutschland GmbH, based in Elmshorn, is one of the ten largest petrol station operators in Germany and has been the main sponsor of German handball record champion THW Kiel since 2016.
According to the slogan "More than just cheap fuel", star and ORLEN petrol stations offer quality fuels as well as their own brand products at an attractive price-performance ratio. Customers also benefit from a cooperation with the German Automobile Club ADAC (instant discount of 1 cent per litre of petrol for members) or from the B2B-fleet-card and receive additional services such as car washing and parcel services at many stations. Filling stations with 'star café' and 'stop. café' invite you to take breaks in a feel-good atmosphere and offer coffee specialities, a large selection of tasty meals and hot and cold snacks all day long.
Media contact:
ORLEN Deutschland GmbH
Birgit Schmidt
Head of Corporate Communications