Over three million coins worth a total of EUR 83.000* were collected during the second round of the BNP Paribas Fortis ‘Red Cents’ initiative. From 7 December to 18 January, people were invited to donate their 1, 2 and 5 cent pieces at all BNP Paribas Fortis and Fintro branches for the Food Banks.
Research has shown that in Belgium, 95% of all 1 and 2 cent coins are never used, while at the same time a growing number of less-well-off or isolated people do not eat properly every day and often go hungry. This prompted the BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation to organise for the first time in 2011 a collection of those little red coins and donate them to the Foodbanks.
This latest collection of red cents brought in double the amount raised in the first year. Given that a hot meal costs 3 euro, this sum enabled 27,000 meals to be distributed to the most deprived citizens in this country. The 2011 effort brought in 1.7 million coins worth a total of some EUR 42,000, equivalent to EUR 14,000 hot meals.
To carry out this widespread coin collection drive, BNP Paribas Fortis mobilised all its branches, joined this year by the Fintro branches. Collection boxes were prominently placed in every branch throughout the six-week period so that those who wished could donate their ‘red cents’. Collection boxes were also available in our company restaurants, enabling a large number of Bank staff to make their contribution. In addition, a number of media partners joined in the initiative by offering price reductions on their poster, radio or Internet advertising channels, or even providing spots publicising the collection drive free of charge.
The Foodbanks and BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation wish to express their heartfelt thanks to all those who helped to double the sum collected this year on behalf of the most needy and thus to combat poverty and hunger in this country.
Thanks to the generosity of our clients and staff, plus passers-by, and the dedication shown by charity organisations, schools and sports clubs in supporting the collection drive, the operation was a huge success and a third round is now already scheduled to take place.
Alfons De Vadder, General Manager of the Belgian Foodbanks Federation, expressed his thanks to the BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation, stressing the great importance of the civic engagement which the Foundation has clearly demonstrated in this operation to assist deprived people in Belgium. “Thanks to the charitable attitude shown by the bank’s clients, we are now able to provide these needy people with sustenance in the form of foodstuffs such as milk, baby food, and fish and meat preserves.”
As last year, on top of the coins collected, the BNP Paribas Foundation once again made an additional donation to support the foodbanks. Affixed to each collection box and each ‘Red Cents’ poster in the BNP Paribas Fortis and Fintro branches was a QR code. Every time a QR code was scanned with a smartphone, the Foundation donated one extra euro to the foodbanks. Last September the BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation had already launched a similar initiative via Foursquare®, a smartphone app-based based geolocation social network. These initiatives together resulted in an additional donation of EUR 25,000 to the Foodbanks.
* Sum as of 12 February 2013
Press contacts
Hilde Junius, Head of Press, +32 (0)2 565 47 37 – hilde.junius@bnpparibasfortis.com
Valéry Halloy, Press Officer, +32 (0)2 565 46 50 – valery.halloy@bnpparibasfortis.com
Kim Cauberghs, Press Officer, +32 (0)2 228 37 94 – kim.cauberghs@bnpparibasfortis.com
About the Foodbanks – The Belgian Foodbanks Federation is a coordination body that represents a national network of nine regional foodbanks, which undertake to distribute foodstuffs among charity organisations.
The mission of the foodbanks is to provide food aid to people most in need. They are assisted in this mission by large gifts of foodstuffs from the European Food Aid Programme, from the food processing industry, from major retail chains and wholesalers. They also organise periodic collections among the general public. All sums thus collected are channelled into providing the maximum number of free meals to the needy.
The foodbanks currently collect and distribute over 13,400 tons of foodstuffs every year to some 117,440 beneficiaries via 629 local charity organisations.
About the BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation – The Red Cents operation is one of a range of such initiatives which BNP Paribas Fortis undertakes as part of its civic engagement policy, through the Bank’s private foundation. The BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation provides support to a large number of charities and social welfare organisations, thus helping to combat poverty and social marginalisation.
BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation was established, with the status of a private foundation, on 8 April 2010, thus confirming BNP Paribas Fortis’ commitment to pursuing its corporate philanthropy policies, drawing on the fourteen years’ previous experience of the Fortis Foundation Belgium in this field, underpinned by the core values of the BNP Paribas Group.
In its work to help combat social marginalisation, the BNP Paribas Fortis Foundation focuses its activities on three main areas:
- Helping children and young people to re-connect with society through educational projects
- Encouraging charity and social welfare projects to which BNP Paribas Fortis staff contribute their time and skills on a voluntary basis
- Mobilising the Bank branches to support social solidarity initiatives such as the annual ‘Red Cents’ operation.