The gift or charitable business: Maltesers’ now have a new minivan

Photo from Malteser’s archyve.

The new minivan of the Order of Malta Humanitarian Aid Service is already driving around Kaunas. With it, volunteers help the disabled Kaunas residents to reach their destinations, warm the hearts of lonely elderly people and make the wards’ lives easier. This 15,000-euro gift is the result of the donation campaign Kaunas Full of Kindness and the generosity of businesses.

The announcement about Maltesers’ need for a new vehicle to replace a completely outdated and collapsed old minibus, was made in November-December. At that time, public institution Kaunas IN initiated a social charity campaign Kaunas Full of Kindness. It was joined by 12 Kaunas’ companies who encouraged their employees to donate.

An international financial technology company Bankera responded to the Maltesers’ request by donating as much as € 10,000. According to the co-founder of the company Vytautas Karalevičius, before Christmas season, they were already considering to support some organization that does good deeds for the people, who are most in need, “Maltesers and their noble mission bring together people who are helping and contributing to the improvement of daily life of those in need. Therefore, when we heard about a fundraising campaign for a Maltesers’ minibus, we realized we could be of great service in this situation. With this relief, we also wanted to show that financial technology companies can benefit society not only directly by creating innovative solutions and jobs in the country, but also indirectly by supporting those public initiatives that contribute to the well-being of the socially vulnerable.”

According to V. Karalevičius, Bankera performs socially responsible activities not only through charity or sponsorship of educational programs but first and foremost through adherence to the principles of social justice in their provision of services. The company is developing innovative solutions that make every day financial services not only simpler but also more accessible to all people, small and medium-sized businesses, as well as non-governmental organizations.

Gražina Senvaitienė, Project Coordinator for the Order of Malta Humanitarian Aid Service Kaunas branch is pleased that the kindness accompanied the volunteers not only during the collection of funds but in all other stages as well, “We found the vehicle, a 10-year-old wheelchair accessible Fiat Ducato, in Denmark and the sellers agreed to give us a really big discount. After we started to think about the decoration of the minibus, we received help from a company that agreed to decorate the minibus in Malteser symbols free of charge – so we could be visible and recognizable. So, indeed, kindness accompanied us in every step of the way.”

Kaunas group of the Order of Malta unites a few dozen volunteers who care for almost a hundred lonely, low-income, disabled elderly people by bringing them hot soup, providing basic household help and often by lifting their spirits up through trips that allow people to escape the harsh reality.

Information by “Kaunas IN” Business Division.