For the second time, a ‘Joy to Give’ collection campaign for school supplies was run by SPAR Hungary in partnership with the Hungarian Maltese Charity Service. This campaign is targeted at supporting children in need by donating school supplies at the start of the new school year.

Donating school supplies

From 24 to 27 August 2022, INTERSPAR Hypermarket customers could purchase school supplies instore, including notebooks, stationery items, pencil cases, school bags and other necessary goods. Volunteers of the Hungarian Maltese Charity Service collected the purchases.

In addition, shoppers could support the campaign by purchasing donation cards between 20 July and 4 September 2022. The cards were available on SPAR’s online platform and in participating INTERSPAR Hypermarkets. Customers could select donation cards valued at 500, 1500, 3000, 5000 or 10,000 HUF. The donations were used to purchase much needed school supplies. A team from the charity service delivered the supplies to children in need before the start of the school year.

Partners for almost 30 years

“Our ‘Joy to Give!’ campaign has been running for 26 years this year. Last year was the first time we teamed up with the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta to collect school supplies at INTERSPAR Hypermarkets. Our customers purchased over 57,000 school supplies and donated over 2,200,000 HUF. SPAR Hungary complemented this support with an additional donation of 1,000,000 HUF. As a result, about 1,500 children received some form of support to make the start of the school year easier”, said Márk Maczelka, Head of Communications at SPAR Hungary.

The Hungarian Maltese Charity Service has been SPAR Hungary’s strategic partner for almost thirty years. The ‘Joy to Give!’ school supply collection campaign is one of the most successful of their many joint initiatives. This donation campaign is based on the successful food donation campaign run by SPAR Hungary in the lead-up to Christmas last year.

Source: SPAR Hungary

Read more about SPAR Hungary.

About SPAR Hungary

The first SPAR Supermarket opened in Hungary in 1992, following the acquisition by ASPIAG (Austria SPAR International AG) of a majority stake in General Kereskedelmi Rt. Since its launch, SPAR Hungary has been actively involved in developing the country’s retail industry.

The licensing of independent retailers to operate the SPAR Brand in Hungary has proven successful. The retailers benefit from access to SPAR Own Brand products and expertise, while consumers enjoy the increased number of store locations. SPAR Hungary is one of the country’s largest employers, with nearly 18,000 team members. SPAR Hungary runs a network of over 610 company-owned and independently-run stores. The retailer’s online platform is available in Budapest and over 50 surrounding municipalities.